Hundreds of Alevis, gathered at the corner of Finsbury Park last Saturday to protest the ongoing violence against their community in Syria.
It was in response to the Syrian security forces’ mass killings of civilians – known as Alewites in Syria.
More than 4,000 Alawites have been killed across Latakia, Tartus, Hama, and Homs since last December, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The latest wave of violence includes a campaign targeting Alawite communities, reportedly in response to an attack on interim government by forces loyal to deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
The Assad family, which ruled Syria for over five decades until last December, belongs to the Alawite sect.
Protesters marched from Turnpike Lane to Manor House Station, where a tent was set up by the organizer, British Alevi Federation (BAF) for over 10 days.
Protesters condemned the revenge killing of the Syrian force, demanding justice and accountability for the atrocities. They called for international intervention and urged the UK government to take action to protect the religious minority’s safety and rights.
BAF also highlighted the growing concern about the targeting of Alawite communities in Syria by security forces loyal to the new leadership.
There were protests in other locations in London, including a march in front of the BBC headquarters.
Gülseren Das, a Kurdish Islington-based documentary filmmaker and activist who joined the protest, said: “There are a lot of images circulating on social media about the Alevi massacre in Syria. They are horrible. I don’t watch them. Because I know it. My parents have already experienced this.
“I come from a region where Alevis were massacred in the 70s, from Turkey, from Maras. Many of my grandfathers and relatives were subjected to the same violence and massacre by the state because they were Alevis at that time.”
Das also described Alevism as a belief system rooted in humanity and nature. She said the massacres in Syria and the one her family endured in Maras targeted both Alevis and Christians.
The Alawites, a sect of Muslim, are a religious minority in Syria constituting about 12% of the population.
BAF began the ‘Stop Alawite Genocide’ campaign on 7 March. Dilek Incedal, BAF’s co-chair, urged others to join the protests: “We call everyone to come and protest here with us. We call everyone to be here and make a voice.”
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, expressed his concern on X 9 March, calling the violence in Syria “horrific” and urging the authorities in Damascus to protect all Syrians and ensure a path to transitional justice.
