Activists from around the world have gathered on Turkey's border with Syria, demanding an end to violence against anti-government protesters inside Syria.

The group, which calls itself the “Freedom Convoy,” is made up mostly of young Syrians living abroad.

Group member Bilal Dalati said he is protesting because his own family members are getting killed.

“Just last week I lost a cousin, an immediate cousin of mine. He got shot in the area of Zabadani. It's heartbreaking. You know, those people are dying. They're my people. People that I was, you know, associated with for most of my life, or half of life, before I traveled to the U.S.”

Organizers say activists have traveled to Turkey's southeastern province of Gaziantep, mostly from European countries and from the United States in a show of support for the people of Syria. At a news conference, Zena Adi, who said she has recently fled Syria, described the situation in the restive country.

“There are entire towns in Syria that don't have electricity, that don't have the oil to run their cars or to heat their homes. People don't have food. The towns are under siege, surrounded. When someone tries to bring in food, it's thrown on the side of the street.”

Organizers say the Freedom Convoy has brought truckloads of food, medical aid and supplies that the activists will try to get across the border into Syria. If Syrian authorities refuse to let them cross, they intend on pitching tents and camping out in a three-day protest.

The group is calling for an end to President Bashar al-Assad's bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The United Nations says 5,000 people have been killed since anti-government uprisings began in March.