Stand #WithSyria - Trafalgar Square, London at 6pm on 13 March

The situation in Syria is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our times. 15 March marks three years since the start of the Syrian uprising. Now more than ever, we need to stand together to ensure that this is the last anniversary marked by bloodshed. 

Amnesty International is part of a global coalition of NGOs and together we are holding events all over the UK and the world to mark the third anniversary. This is part of our wider work to ensure humanitarian aid gets to the most vulnerable Syrians, especially those in besieged and hard to reach areas.

The vigil in London’s Trafalgar Square will be between 6pm-7pm on Thursday 13th March.  

This will be one of the largest, most high profile events, featuring a soundscape developed by Martyn Ware using the voices of Syrian people and their hopes for the future, and a light projection culminating in a child-led vigil. The audience of supporters, celebrities, politicians and children will be invited to tweet messages using #withSyria that will be projected onto the square. 

People can register to come to the event here

Amnesty International UK's local groups and student activists are also holding vigils across the UK and we issued a new report  Squeezing the life out of Yarmouk: War crimes against besieged civilians on 10 March. The report calls on the Syrian government to immediately lift the siege of Yarmouk and other civilian areas, cease shelling and other indiscriminate attacks and direct attacks on civilians, and allow humanitarian organisations and agencies unfettered access.
Other actions and activities have also been launched targeting the UN Security Council to ensure parties to the conflict cease preventing aid getting to those that need it the most.

Background

In the run up to the anniversary, Syrian groups, prominent international NGOs, former world leaders and celebrities around the world are holding vigils in over 30 countries, turning global landmarks into symbols of hope, from the Eiffel Tower to Za’atari camp, from Trafalgar Square to Dadaab camp in Kenya. Banksy has donated the use of his iconic image of the girl with the balloon as a motif for the campaign, including the vigils and an inspirational new campaign video that will be released on 12th March. You can see who’s joined the campaign already at with-Syria.org  

 This tragic anniversary is a moment for all of us to redouble our efforts. As part of the #WithSyria campaign, we are asking world leaders to commit every effort to ensuring the people of Syria do not lose another year to bloodshed and suffering, and specifically to press all parties to the conflict and all those with influence to:

1.       Stop the bloodshed: This means ending attacks on civilians, including schools and hospitals. It means respect for the laws of war and the rights of those affected by the conflict.

2.       Ensure all those in need can access life-saving assistance. 

3.       Commit to inclusive peace talks: This means making sure the voices of those affected – including civil society and women – can be heard and heeded