Britain and other countries expelled their Syrian ambassadors on May 29, 2012 in a response of disgust at the massacre of more than 100 people in Houla, Syria. Forty-nine victims were children and 34 women, according to UN observers. The majority of the people killed were maimed or shot at close range, execution style. Locals who survived the massacre claim that the work is that of the Shabiha, a militia loyal to Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
The massacre was a response to the villagers' protests against the Syrian government, according to activists.
The Syrian flag hangs from the Syrian Embassy in central London, 29 May 2012, England. Britain has expelled the ambassador of Syria from the UK in protest at the alleged massacre by security forces of more than 100 people in Houla, Syria.