DAMASCUS, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Tens of Syrian actors gathered Thursday in front of the UN headquarters in the capital Damascus, denouncing the recent decision by the U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Israel's control over the Golan Heights.
The participants held banners, with some of which reading: "Golan is a Syrian land and it belongs to the Syrians" and others reading "Golan is ours not for others."
Others held placards reading "what is taken by force, could only be returned through force."
The actors also shouted slogans such as "with soul and blood we sacrifice for you Golan."
The protest is part of a broader popular movement denouncing the decision of Trump to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the war in 1967 and annexed the territory in 1981.
Omaya Malas, a famous Syrian actor known for her traditional old Damascus roles, told Xinhua that the Trump decision is basically an act of "theft."
"We are Syrians and this is our country and we don't accept such arrogant decisions that have no base of legitimacy," she said.
She stressed that "this land is ours and it will remain ours and if we couldn't visit Golan, our sons and grandchildren will take it back."
For his part, Iskandar Aziz, another actor, said the main goal behind the protest is to deliver a message stressing that the Golan Heights will remain a Syrian land.
"The main goal is to tell the entire world that the Golan is a Syrian land whether they like it or not and what has been done by them through this outrageous and irresponsible act will not affect us because we the Syrians are the owners of this land," he told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, the head of the actors' syndicate, Zuhair Ramadan, handed a written message to the UN spokesman in Damascus, Khaled al-Masri, urging the UN to stand in the face of Trump's decision.
On Monday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
The ministry said in a statement that Trump's move is a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Syria," adding that the Syrian government completely rejects the decision and the Golan Heights will always remain as Syrian territory.
"Trump does not have the legal right to legitimize the occupation of others' land by force," the ministry said.
Recognizing the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has been a recent demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which comes months after the Trump administration moved the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the contested city of Jerusalem.
