MONTREAL – Syrian Montrealers gathered in front of the Russian consulate in Montreal Saturday afternoon to denounce Russia’s recent military incursion in Syria.
Protesters say Russian airstrikes are killing innocent civilians. They called on the international community to do more.
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Activists are accusing the Russians of using a false pretext to invade Syria.
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They insist that air-strikes are being aimed at anti-Assad opposition forces, rather than at ISIS militants.
Demonstrators say that Russian involvement in the conflict is really aimed at bolstering the Assad regime.
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Mohammad Abo, who was at the protest in front of the Montreal consulate goes even further.
“We also want to insist that the world enlist the Assad regime as a terrorist organization,” he said. “Due to the fact that he killed 250 times the number that have been killed by ISIS.”
In Abo’s opinion both ISIS and the regime form a common front.
“On the ground they are fighting in the same position against civilians,” he contended. “They don’t fight each other.”
To him, this is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the conflict.
He added that media reports only help perpetuate the myth.
Abo concluded by saying that the only difference between the Assad government and ISIS, is the uniform.
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The war, now in its fifth year has killed an estimated 250,000 Syrians and displaced millions, leading to the current migrant crisis in Europe.
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