Balloons take to skies worldwide for Idlib, Syria

By Bilal Acar

ANKARA (AA) - Thousands of balloons took to the skies in 15 countries worldwide on Saturday for a serious cause: raising awareness of the desperate situation in Idlib, Syria.

The We Are The Love international initiative organized the balloon event to protest the Assad regime air raids on the northwestern Idlib province and raise awareness of the innocent civilians killed and injured in the attacks.

In Turkey, participants gathered in Sihhiye Abdi Ipekci Park in the capital Ankara, where Talha Keskin made a speech on behalf of the platform.

“At 12 noon GMT today, thousands of people are gathering in the cities of London, Paris, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin, Geneva, Vienna, Washington, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Pristina, Skopje, Tirana, Athens, Ankara, and Idlib in collaboration with local and international NGOs to show their support to the civilians in Idlib, Syria,” Keskin said.

Citing Ursula Mueller, the assistant UN secretary general, who said, “Millions of battered and beleaguered children, women and men are counting upon the international community to stop one of the worst tragedies in modern recent history from unfolding,” Keskin said innocents are stuck in the enclave “with no safe way out.”

He added that all the people who came together across the globe are calling on the international community to stop the violence in Idlib, and also to end “deliberate” aerial bombardment of civilians and public buildings.

He said the group is also urging accountability for all individuals and groups suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity through the use of chemical weapons and rape as a weapon of war in Syria.

He also called for the lifting of all obstacles to humanitarian aid supplies reaching civilians in and outside Idlib.

“Individuals in all the 15 countries will be sharing their contribution on their social media under the hashtag #WeAreTheLove,” he said, urging people everywhere to voice support.

“The We Are The Love campaign team consists of a group of young activists volunteering from across the globe and working to creating an environment of peace by raising awareness to the massacre in Idlib,” according to a statement by the platform.

*Writing by Sena Guler