Assyrians protest outside Downing Street

By: Robert Ewan

Posted: Tuesday, September 9, 2014 11:44 pm.

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Assyrian protestors demand action Hundreds of Assyrians gathered before Downing Street on Sunday, September 8 to express support for the beleaguered Christian Assyrians of Iraq. The peaceful demonstration was organized by ‘A Demand for Action’ to raise awareness of the forced expulsion of Christians from their homes and to demand a safe haven for minorities in Iraq. The enthusiastic demonstrators chanted: “Safe haven for the Assyrians of Iraq” as they stood sweltering in London’s summer heat. They carried placards with the messages “Silence Kills Stop The Genocide” and “Wake up Britain”. Some demonstrators carried placards with an Arabic ‘N’ written on them. This is the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet and the equivalent to the Roman letter ‘N’. It stands for Nasara or Nazarenes, a pejorative Arabic word for Christians. The Reverend Tony Malham of the Assyrian Church of the East said: “We want to show our support for the Christians of Iraq and to highlight their ordeal; something must be done to help them.” He added: “Because the Iraqi Christians are in the minority it does not mean that they should be treated unjustly.” Mr Wilson Jaso, President of the Assyrian Society of the United Kingdom, said: “We are here to show solidarity with our Christians in Iraq and we call for an end to the unfair treatment being meted out to them.” Albert Michael, one of the demonstrators, said: “We are here today to demand action by the West and UN to defend all minorities in Iraq and to stop this ethnic cleansing that is taking place today.” Mr Steve Pond, Ealing North MP, delivered a rousing speech which set the demonstrators alight: “We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Assyrian brothers in their ordeal. Please do not think that you are alone. You are the people that we are proud to have in this country.” The Assyrians’ ancestral homeland is known in history as ‘the cradle of civilization’. The majority of Assyrians in London are found in Ealing, Greenford and Hanwell.