Saturday, January 07, 2012

Bella Ciao Syria


On Thursday I went to my Labour Party ward meeting. Afterwards I was speaking to a longstanding member who I hadn't realised was originally from Syria. He spoke about his distress about the massacres and slaughter that is happening in his homeland. Every day he receives emails and graphic videos with shocking images and news. At my request he sent me information and a link to a Google News Group on Syria.

I clicked on its Youtube links and was pretty horrified at what I saw. Dozens of different amateur videos showing countless people being shot, dying and dead in large pools of blood. Crying relatives and friends risking their own lives to pick up up bodies and the wounded being shot at themselves. Shaky Pictures of unidentified gunmen with telescopic rifles on the roof tops of tower blocks. Tanks firing at crowds of fleeing and unarmed civilians. Warning: this link is very, very graphic. Mainstream media just cannot show these pictures. Simply and utterly dreadful. Words (for once) fail me.

Hat-tip for Youtube video above to TheTollundWoman (not graphic)

12 comments:

vjohn82 said...

I haven't been this horrified since I watched a documentary about the 9/11 jumpers.


I need to read more before I could comment on the politics of the situation but any sort of diplomacy or politics conducted with violent weapons leaves me feeling very ill indeed.

John Gray said...

Hi Vaughan

It is completely horrific. What sort of sick "government" orders its army to shot unarmed civilian protesters and children? Murdering hundreds of their own people every week, week in week out.

vjohn82 said...

These theocratic governments are still in the 16th century. I sometimes think we are heading back that way.

John Gray said...

Hi Vaughan

I don't think that in the Syrian regime is actually a "theocratic" government. It may pretend to do so. It is far more like the family gangster regimes in Iraq and Libya.

By co-incidence I have just watched on TV "Devils Double" which I think to some extent mirrors what has gone on in Syria.

vjohn82 said...

I thinking more of the other countries involved (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey) who all seen Syria as a zone of influence. I should read a little more on it but with things as they are, I need to spend time away from my normal activities. I know a little of Faisal's reign around the time of the new Turkish Republic in the 1920s (I wrote a paper on it at uni) but I've not really kept up to date as I should have done.

This has inspired me to do some more research.

vjohn82 said...

I meant to say

"I was thinking more of the other countries involved (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey) who all have seen Syria as a zone of influence."

I think it's getting late... lol

John Gray said...

Hi Vaughan

Maybe also look at British history when we had very simlar absolute, cruel and despotic family regimes?

We are not that different.

vjohn82 said...

I think we still live with the legacy of those regimes in Britain. But after seeing that video I'm more inclined to think that we don't have it do bad even if more can be done to change society.

I think I was the only person in my primary school classes to ask the teacher questions about why these kinds and queens felt that divine rule was "enough" to assume a throne and attain great wealth and influence even in the face of their clear insanity/mania.

I think I was sent out of the class once for being a little too critical of the monarchy/government. I've changed tack in recent times to religion but I'm always interested in learning more. I'm only 29.. I'm nowhere near the finished article haha

John Gray said...

I could never imagine you being sent out of a classroom for something you said:)

vjohn82 said...

I was a good kid to be fair. I was always rebelling against authority on some level. I guess my harsh upbringing taught me not to respect people automatically.

John Gray said...

Questioning people is a good thing Vaughan. In Britain it could lead to you being thrown out of your class, expelled or even sued for libel!!!

In Syria today it could lead to your extermination.

vjohn82 said...

I think that's something we can learn from in this country. No matter how bad it gets, there's always another country where your thoughts are considered crimes and punishable by death.

We cannot be complacent at all, no matter where we are in any given point in time. There is no refuge in the consensus!