Teddy bears laid in Downing Street in call to end Syrian violence

Young protestors laid teddy bears at the gates of Downing Street in a rally calling for the end of the bloodshed in Syria. Hundreds of people took part in the Rally for Aleppo in central London on Saturday (22 October) which focused on the civil war's impact on children.

Of those in attendance were Labour MP Alison McGovern, who took over from the late Jo Cox as co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group Friends of Syria, and actress Carey Mulligan, a global ambassador for the charity War Child.

McGovern's "voice broke with emotion" as she addressed the crowd, reported The Guardian, as she remembered the work of Cox, who was an outspoken campaigner on issues relating to the Syrian civil war.

"It shouldn't be me who is speaking here today," she told the rally. "It should be my friend Jo Cox, but because she isn't here, so we have to be here.

"Fifty thousand children have been killed in Syria since 2011, and millions have fled their homes. There are 100,000 children trapped right now in Aleppo."

Mulligan, best known for her role in The Great Gatsby, attended the rally with her daughter Evelyn, who was one of the children to lay a bear among the pile.

"Since having my daughter, it just drives home even more how unimaginable it would be for my daughter to be in any of these situations and to have to deal with any of this," she said. "It just really drives me to speak out and do more if I can. I'm safe in the knowledge that when I put Evie down to bed she is safe. The parents in Aleppo aren't. They don't know what the night will bring."

A letter was also delivered to Number 10 demanding Theresa May take action to help end the violence.

It comes after the Prime Minister insisted on Friday (21 October) the EU must keep "all options" open if Russia continues to commit atrocities in the conflict zone.