Georgia voices solidarity with Assyrian Christians

Thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities to support Assyrian Christians.

"Solidarity with Assyrian Christians” was the motto of Sunday's rally, which saw people hold toys in protest against violence against children and religious cleansing in Syria and Iraq.

People in Tbilisi rallied to support Assyrian children; Photo courtesy of a rally participant. 

United Nations’ official statistics noted more than 8,000 children have been killed since the Syrian crisis started in 2011.

Today’s country-wide rally voiced three main messages:

• Expressed solidarity with Assyrian Christians;
• Demanded world leaders to take action to help those in trouble in Syria and Iraq;
• Asked the Georgian Government to grant asylum to Assyrians, if possible.

Meanwhile hundreds of Georgian families expressed their readiness to adopt Assyrian children if needed.

"We all are ready to take one Assyrian child home and raise them as our own if there is no other way of helping these people,” one of the protesters said.

Meanwhile, Georgian officials said Georgia had a;ready helped hundreds of asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq, who had escaped the violent regime of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).