Syrian President Bashar Assad casts his ballot next to his wife Asma

London riots compared with bloody Syria crackdown by Fawaz Akhras

Friday, March 16, 2012
10:20 AM

The brutal violence in Syria has been compared to the London riots by the father of President Assad’s wife.

Fawaz Akhras, who works in London as a consultant cardiologist, said: “When the riots burst out and Mr Cameron said he would get the army out, now would you compare that to Homs?” he told The Telegraph.

“What would you do? Just watch them killing you? You have a responsibility to ensure the security of your people.”

Syrian troops are carrying out a bloody crackdown on rebels in cities, including Homs. Around 7,000 people are thought to have been killed by heavy weaponry including tank shells - in attacks which sparked condemnation of the regime by the international community.

But the death toll in Syria was compared favourably to the much higher number of dead in the Libyan revolution, by Mr Akhras.

When told the London riots were eventually quelled without loss of life by authorities in Britain, Mr Akhras said: “We are not as sophisticated as the Metropolitan Police or Scotland Yard.”

His daughter Asma, 36, grew up in Acton, west London, where she was know as Emma. They moved from Syria to the capital city in the 1950’s, for Mr Akhras’ medical training.