Houstonians rally in solidarity for Syrian refugees

Image 1 of 4

Saturday evening in the Galleria many rallied in support of the Syrian refugees who are desperately trying to escape the war in their country.

Many Houstonians out there were from Syria and still have family there.  They say what’s going on in their homeland is heartbreaking and their prayer is to get the refugees here to the U.S.

“When Syria is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” they chanted.

It’s a fight and a desperate call for help for the crisis in Syria.  It’s ripping families apart here in Houston.

“I've already lost family members to this situation and conflict there are just no words you know,” Yara Maaz said.

Maaz one of the organizers says something must be done to help millions trying to escape Syria’s brutal regime.

“They see barrel bombs dropped on them, they see kids buried under rubble digging them out with their bare hands,” Maaz said.

She was joined by activists, concerned citizens and several other Syrian Americans.

”We’re trying to raise awareness about the urgency of the situation. This is the largest refugee crisis of the 21st Century,” Amal Rammah said.

As well as raising awareness, the big message was aimed towards the nation’s capital.  While the U.S. has welcomed many refugees, people say much more needs to be done. 

“We want to demand that the U.S. allow more refugees because right now the numbers are dismal, they fall really short,” Rammah said.

“I'm always praying the U.S. would take in more Syrian refugees. That it should be a priority since the U.S. is a humanitarian country,” Gais Eyounlsoud said.

“We want these people to come in integrate contribute to our economy and become our neighbors,” Shiyam Galyon said.

Thousands gathered across the world in solidarity with Syrian refugees Saturday.  Including cities such as Madrid, London, Athens and Geneva,