The Syrian government's disproportionate use of force against its civilians was protested in Istanbul. About a thousand people gathered after Friday prayer in the courtyard of Fatih Mosque and marched to Saraçhane Park in procession from Fevzipasa street. Syrians living in Turkey also attended the protest organised by civil society organisations such as the IHH, Özgür-Der and Mazlumder. During the protest the group showed placards and called out slogans against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The crowd, coming to Saraçhane Park in procession made a press release there. On behalf of the group, IHH Board Member, Osman Atalay, made a speech. Atalay read the demands of the Syrian opposition which were decided in the forum 'Syrian Gathering in Istanbul' that was held in Istanbul recently. In the demands that Mr. Atalay read out, it was emphasised that the people of Syria deserve a free and dignified life, as do all of the people of the world. The demands also were that the bloodshed needs to cease immediately, the government has to stop torture and arbitrary arrests and the world media should come back to Syria. After Mr. Atalay, Dr. Hamdi Osmanoğlu, who is a Syrian living in Turkey, made a speech. Dr. Osmanoğlu said that a massacre is taking place in Syria, explaining that the wounded cannot be taken to hospitals, and those who go to hospitals are killed. After Dr. Osmanoğlu, Kenan Alpay on behalf of Özgür-Der and then Arife Gökkaya on behalf of MAZLUMDER made speeches and they denounced Syrian President Assad. After the speeches, some demonstrators burned posters of Bashar al-Assad and stamped on them.