Syrian conflict's 4-year anniversary marked by Montrealers

More than 100 Montrealers marched through the city's downtownon Sunday to mark the four-year anniversary of the Syrian uprising, a brutal conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced.

Demonstrators chanted "Syria will be a democracy" as they walked through the snowy streets.

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Faisal Alazem, a Syrian-Montrealer and the organizer of the march, said he wants to make sure the world doesn't forget what is happening in Syria.

"Syrians, for their freedom, have paid an immense price," he said.

"We are there as well to condemn the indifference of the international community. Let's not forget that this is all happening in front of our eyes. And no one can say we didn't know. Everyone knows what's happening in Syria."

Syria's turmoil began withprotests against President Bashar al-Assad's regimein March 2011.

It crossed an important threshold a year and a half later, when the International Red Cross formallydeclared it a civil war.