HUNDREDS OF LONDON protesters, including actress Carey Mulligan, have left teddy bears outside the prime minister Theresa May’s office as they demanded a larger British role in ending attacks on civilians in Syria’s Aleppo.
Demonstrators backed by Amnesty International and other activist groups gathered today at the gates of Downing Street.
They said the teddy bears represented thousands of children trapped in rebel-held areas of Aleppo targeted by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies.
Mulligan, who gave a speech at the rally, said the British government must “take a really strong stance and come up with robust measures to deal with this.”
Calls for action ranged from tougher sanctions on Russia to the enforcement of a no-fly zone.
British officials have stressed the need for diplomatic pressure on Russia but have shown little appetite for military action.
Yesterday, Britain deployed warships to monitor a Russian aircraft carrier group and other vessels, as they sailed through the North Sea and the English Channel reportedly en route to the coast of Syria.
Almost 500 people have been killed in Aleppo since bombing raids by Russian and Syrian forces began in September of this year.
Mulligan, who has starred in films such as The Great Gatsby and Far from the Madding Crowd, is an ambassador for War Child, an organisation that seeks to help children in war-torn areas recover from the atrocities they have suffered.
Upon her appointment to the role in 2014, the actress said:
“It’s unbearable that the places that are being targeted are the very places that children should be safe. No child should be left to face war alone.”
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