Members of the University of York Amnesty International group will hold a vigil for Syria on 12 March to mark the third-year anniversary of the uprising.
The vigil – to be held in front of York Minster at 6pm – is part of a string of similar #WithSyria events around the world.
Rosemary Collins, University of York Amnesty’s secretary, said: “Syria is the worst humanitarian crisis of our times. The amount of death and human suffering taking place is appalling, and the rest of the world has a responsibility not to turn our backs.
We’re holding this vigil to stand with the people of Syria, taking inspiration from the saying ‘It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness’.
It’s really important that Syria is not forgotten. People there have already suffered for too long, and they need help now. Above all, we’re holding this vigil in the hopes that they get that help, so we won’t need to do so again in a year’s time.”
The vigils are organised by a coalition of human rights and humanitarian organisations, including Amnesty, Oxfam, Save the Children and Christian Aid, in the hope to highlight the suffering of over 250,000 civilians trapped in besieged areas of Syria with little access to food, water or medicine.
The public event is open to all students wishing to attend. You can view the Facebook event HERE.