Syrians take pro and anti-Assad demonstrations to streets of Chicago

US city has become the favoured venue for those who say President Bashar al Assad should stay and others who support the protesters back home in Syria.

CHICAGO // Syrians living in the US congregated in Chicago city centre on Sunday for a demonstration in support of Bashar al Assad, Syria's president.

Some drove hundreds of kilometres to attend and many waved flags and chanted in support of the man they say should stay as leader despite the recent deaths of protesters in their homeland.

While the demonstration lasted peacefully for hours, with many children, their parents and even grandparents chanting together, there was evidence from some of resentment aimed, in part, at the media that have covered the unrest in Syria.

At least 80 people have been killed as the government cracked down on protests around the country in the past three weeks.

One demonstrator held up a sign directed at CNN and one of the news channel's hosts, Anderson Cooper, asking both to "stop lying to the American public with your guests".

Others argued that certain news organisations both here and abroad have been too one-sided in their coverage. Some said they contacted a Syrian news programme to share video footage of the rally being held in Chicago.

Layla Koro, who left Syria in 2005 but said she returns at least twice a year and helped organise the demonstration in Chicago, said: "We love our president. We don't want him to go away, Syria is not Libya. Syria is not like Egypt. Syria is totally different."

After cramming into a car full of her siblings, Jessica, who did not want to reveal her family's last name, drove for five hours from Detroit, Michigan, to attend the rally. She said other Syrians living in the US have joined similar demonstrations recently in support of Mr Assad's leadership.

Yet this gathering comes just days after another one was held in Chicago at which participants called for Mr Assad to step down. "Stop killing Syrians," read one sign at that rally, while another read, "Syria wants freedom now".

One organiser at the event that called for new leadership in Syria asked participants to clean up all their signs and flags from the area "because if we keep it dirty we won't be able to come the week after. Inshallah, we won't have to come the week after. Inshallah, we'll be free soon. If we do come, it'll be a celebration, inshallah," he added.

The crisis in Syria has also become a growing issue for the US government. On Sunday, the US Department of State issued its third travel warning on Syria in less than two weeks, and it has now authorised the voluntary departure of family members of US government employees.

"We urge US citizens to defer non-essential travel to Syria at this time," read the agency's statement. "We remind US citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence."