The Morning Star has today come under massive criticism for hailing the near total recapture of Aleppo by pro-Government forces as a “liberation.” I would agree that the situation calls for more nuance. However a feeling of relief that the fighting that has ravaged Aleppo for four years is coming to a close, must form part of any sane reaction. If we are not allowed to feel relief at that, presumably it means that we must have wanted al-Nusra and various other jihadist militias to win the hot war. What do we think Syria would look like after that?
I am no fan of the Assad regime. It is not a genuine democracy and it has a very poor human rights record. If Assad had been toppled by his own people in the Arab spring and replaced by something more akin to a liberal democracy, which kept the Assad regime’s religious toleration, protection of minorities and comparatively good record on women’s rights, and added to it political freedom, a functioning justice system and end to human rights abuse, nobody would have been happier than I. Indeed I strongly suspect I have in the past done much more to campaign against human rights abuse in Syria than the mainstream media stenographers who all decry the fall of rebel Aleppo now.
But sadly liberal democracy, human rights and women’s rights are not in any sense what the jihadist militias the West is backing are fighting for.
Of course it is essential that human rights are now respected in Aleppo by the government, that civilians are looked after, and that rebel fighters once identified are incarcerated in decent conditions. I add my voice to those calls. It should be noted that the threat to life and limb, and the violations and war crimes, have been on all sides, and the oppression of the government is most unlikely to be worse than the oppression of the rebels. The jhadists impounded relief supplies from the civilian population, shot those attempting to flee, and raped on a grand scale. That is not in any way to minimise the potential for mirror abuse from government supporting troops. But it is nonetheless true and must be stated.
The freedom from rebel mortar bombardment of civilian areas of Western Aleppo will also be an added mercy.
But it is not only the western media which has been hopelessly one-sided in its coverage of events. I have been deeply shocked by the heavily politicised role played by western charities and relief agencies. And sure enough, reports reaching me today from an independent source in Syria indicate that now the Syrian government has taken over most of the ex-jihadist held areas of Aleppo, those western agencies and charities that were screaming for a ceasefire so they could get aid in to the communities, have lost all interest now that it is safe to do so and the Syrian government is begging them to go in. They appear interested only in servicing rebel-held areas.
Last week saw a rare moment of truth in western diplomacy as Boris Johnson accused Saudi Arabia of financing proxy wars in the Middle East and spreading the ideology of terrorism. It is a strange world when it comes as a shock when a government minister for once says something which is true. But it was a rare moment. Boris is now in Saudi Arabia touting for more arms sales. In fact the anti-democratic regimes in the Gulf loom extremely large in the affections of the current Conservative government. Both Hammond and May have recently been to Bahrain. As I said, the Assad regime does have a poor human rights record, but the Bahraini government beyond argument has a much worse one, with torture a widespread and everyday measure of oppression. The Sunni “royal family” was only maintained in its despotic rule over its majority Shia population during the Arab spring by the invasion of the Saudi army. Torture and repression has been stepped up ever since even beyond its normal appalling standards.
To repeat, Bahrain beyond doubt has an even worse human rights record than Assad. It is also even less democratic. Yet this is the UK’s close ally, and in a stunningly stupid flourish of neo-imperialism, Britain has just opened a new military base in Bahrain, indicating our desire to indulge in further disastrous military intervention in the Middle East for decades to come.
I don’t think I have ever been more ashamed of my country than when reading Theresa May’s speech last week to the assorted despots, torturers and head-choppers of the Gulf Co-operation Council. A plea for our relationship with “old friends” that nowhere at all gives even a passing reference to democracy or human rights, to the extent that it even references the East India Company as a good thing in our history! A litany of begging for their cash, while at the same time focusing on the “security” and “terrorist” threats they face, the “terrorists” in question being their own disenfranchised populations.
Shameful, shameful stuff. yet where is the condemnation from those mainstream media journalists waxing lyrical today on the evils of Assad?
The game goes on. With financing and ideological underpinning from these Gulf states, and covert intelligence aid from the West, ISIS forces are allowed to slip out of Iraq, regroup and retake Palmyra as “retaliation” against Russian/Syrian success in Aleppo, and as a propaganda counter to ensure the West’s jihadist “allies” are not demoralised. The cynicism of it all is sickening. The Morning Star may indeed have not been sufficiently nuanced; but compared to the lies and elisions of mainstream media it is a beacon of truth.
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Dr Rola Hallam on Ch 130 now – Victoria Derbyshire programme.
Remember the Hand in Hand in Syria episode???
She is going out to Syria to set up a children’s hospital in Aleppo with £90k raised in crowd funding. She is looking suitably tragic.
Also on is Paul Conroy who is accompanying her. He is the photographer from Totnes who was with Marie Colvin when she was killed in 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Colvin
The anti-Assad propaganda continues to be created and transmitted by the BBC.
This is interesting: Aleppo
The enormity of events in Aleppo / Syria,
overshadowed talks at an EU summit between European leaders in Brussels on Thursday.
Invited into the heart of the European Council by President Donald Tusk,
the Mayor of Eastern Aleppo Brita Hagi Hasan
begged leaders to be courageous and send forces to monitor the evacuation of civilians still trapped inside the Syrian city.
http://www.euronews.com/2016/12/16/aleppo-s-fate-overshadows-brussels-summit
http://www.worldmayor.com/contest_2016/aleppo-mayor-brita-hagi-hasan.html
Nominations for
Brita Hagi Hasan
President of the City Council of Eastern Aleppo
Nominated by Pete K., USA:
Dear friends,
Thanks for organizing this vital effort to recognize Brita Hagi Hasan for his vital efforts to protect and serve all in Eastern Aleppo, including internal immigrants, and providing a relatively safe space so more people are not forced to become emigrants. I nominate Brita Hagi Hasan, President of the City Council of Eastern Aleppo, for the 2016 World Mayor Prize, because of his leadership, in the face of Russia and the Assad regime’s brutal bombing of Aleppo, in maintaining civil services, including repair of water and electricity services, and in upholding democratic government, where all have the right to openly express themselves. This is extremely important in assisting Syria’s millions of internal immigrants, where those living in regime controlled areas are subject to extreme punishment if they express any criticism of the Assad dictatorship, and in providing an alternative zone in Eastern Aleppo, so that Syrians are not forced to become immigrants just to survive.
Go on Wiki and they have never heard of Brita Hagi Hasan?
Yet this person is a hero to the people of East Aleppo?
Maybe there “could” be a hidden agenda of regime change
underpinned by
Turkey
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
UAE
Bahrain
Kuwait
Jordan
Morocco
Sudan
Senegal
Djibouti
Eritrea
Solmalia
France
United Kingdom
United States of America
Canada
The “Mayor of east Aleppo”. Oh dear. Like the Syrian faux self declared ‘government’ in US many in Syria don’t even know of, I expect.
Wonder what the MP of Aleppo Fares Shehabi and citizens of Aleppo think.
Even the Fucking Gurdian have not heard of him
but they feel they ought to have?
https://profile.theguardian.com/user/id/16199172?page=1
Brita Hagi Hasan
Registered on 8 May 2016
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Nothing to see here at the moment.
This is a person for our Craig to look into, please.
Brita Hagi Hasan
It was President Vladimir Putin himself who ordered Russian troops to oversee the evacuation of rebel fighters and their families from eastern Aleppo.
His call came after days of broken promises blamed on both sides. All day, Russian state television has been rolling pictures of the exodus, portraying a humanitarian act.
Russian officials have long claimed there was no “moderate” opposition to President Bashar al-Assad left in Aleppo.
So they hailed the city’s recapture by Syrian government forces as a victory against terrorism.
As Western politicians decried war crimes there, President Putin’s spokesman shrugged off such talk this week as “terrorist propaganda”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38335970
Although terrorism has been playing a big part in the horror engulfing Syria,
outside regime change
has played a MUCH BIGGER PART
With OBOMBA /CLINTON leaving stage left
let us hope things improve for the people of Syria
and that eventually, many will choose to return, which i think they will.
Unwitting British public will be funding terrorism in the middle east. Need to remove ‘White Helmets’ AlQaeda/Al Nusra militia from the list of recipients
“Shameful, shameful stuff. Yet where is the condemnation from our mainstream media…?”
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/dec/14/mps-urge-uk-foreign-secretary-boris-johnson-bahrain-activist-nabeel-rajab-release
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/dec/10/life-activist-exile-bahrain-protest
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/06/british-thinktank-iiss-received-25m-from-bahraini-royals-documents-reveal
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/06/theresa-may-save-mohammed-ramadan-execution-bahrain
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/21/amnesty-uk-utterly-disingenuous-about-human-rights-in-bahrain
That took me 5 minutes on an iPhone, you haven’t been looking very hard Craig.
Meanwhile the wholly disingenuous Max Kristen opines on ‘fake news’, but at 12 mins in conversation with his equally disingenuous sidekick Stacy, suddenly loses interest in the at the prospect of the rolling back of bank regulation by a Trump administration. No comment from either of them on that prospect, when it has been one of Keisers main subjects of disdain for years. They actually seem quite excited at the idea. Talk about fakes.
https://youtu.be/0PK9RPsJqmE
Keizer…typo.
It’s actually 11.30
Are you the real James Bond, or the fake one?
Have you anything to say about Max Keisers enthusiasm for Trump? Or his enthusiasm for bank deregulation all of a sudden?
I would’ve thought Craig might have banned you from posting after your last horrendous (soon deleted) anti-Semitic post to me, but no, you’re still tolerated. Any more jibes about foreskins? I’m Irish by the way.
Patrick Cockburn on that ” terrorist propaganda “:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/aleppo-crisis-syrian-war-bashar-al-assad-isis-more-propaganda-than-news-a7479901.html
I have an un-opened death threat sitting in my email junk tray
It does seem rather strange that they think that CIA organised terrorism would be, you know, appealing.
Voltaire Network — The Security Council meets in secret, Friday 16 December 2016 at 17.00 universal time – NATO officers were arrested this morning by Syrian Special Forces in a bunker in East Aleppo.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article194590.html
Don’t say the CIA is controlling Putin controlling John McCain:
‘ I’m sitting in a bunker in Aleppo, waiting to be arrested – why – because I can.’
There’s also this report that actually mentions German, British and French officers amongst those caught in the east Aleppo bunker by SAA.
https://www.facebook.com/said.h.alcharifi/posts/1401107103274526
Ministry of Truth
Aleppo evacuation: UN Security Council to vote on sending observers
*current temperature in Aleppo is 4 Celsius, so above freezing*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38354962
France has proposed that officials should monitor evacuation efforts and report on the protection of civilians.
Many residents remain trapped in the city’s east in freezing and dangerous conditions, waiting to be rescued.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4044792/PETER-HITCHENS-Amid-bombs-Aleppo-hear-lies.html
Peter Hitchens tells us we are being told porky pies about Aleppo
the people left in East Aleppo are fanatics.
Ministry of Truth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38358177
Aleppo battle: Rebels burn Syria evacuation buses
Several buses en route to evacuate the sick and injured from two government-held villages in Syria’s Idlib province have been burned by rebels.
The convoy was travelling to Foah and Kefraya, besieged by rebel fighters.
Pro-government forces are demanding people be allowed to leave the mainly Shia villages
in order for the evacuation of east Aleppo to restart.
This is not going to help,
perhaps the Americans could offer their help?
I think six busses from Fouaa and Kafaria have reached a corridor in Aleppo. Via @maytham956
The citizens of those towns have been under siege for four years, a full siege for the last two years and shelling by terrorists.
Reports in the past of a dire humanitarian situation in Fouaa and Kafaria. I used @maytham spelling of the names.
Shoot in 2012, showing that those opposing Assad were armed from the very start;
9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THdMj0-LmRw
Both Vanessa Beeley and Eva Bartlett have taken testimonies refuting the organic uprising/civil war narrative. Here’s a one hour Sott.net interview with Eva Barlett from September in which she mentions some of what she had been told by Syrians about the start of the protests and war.
https://www.sott.net/article/327221-Life-under-fire-in-Syria-SOTT-net-interview-with-Eva-Bartlett
This may well have been posted but I just saw it. Here’s ten minutes of Eva Bartlett recently arguing the case against the msm Syrian propaganda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V2H4FPmJVU
Reverend Andrew Ashdown in east Aleppo.
http://talfanzine.info/blog/2016/12/15/aleppo-the-truth-that-the-western-media-refuses-to-report/
Backs up Vanessa Beeley reports from on the ground in east Aleppo.
Orphan tweeting
How can a seven year old Orphan tweet from a war zone?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38363341
Among them is seven-year-old Bana Alabed, who had tweeted about conditions in the city.
Is it what is known as propaganda
Vlad Putin: Russian ambassador’s murder in TURKEY provocation aimed at undermining Syria peace process
https://www.rt.com/news/370831-putin-russian-ambassador-ankara/
“This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations,
as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria,” Putin said in a statement on Monday evening.
The “only response” to the attack that Moscow “should offer” is “stepping up the fight against terrorism,” the president added.
“The killers will feel it,” Putin said.
So is Vlad going to war with Turkey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alparslan_%C3%87elik
The take-down of the Russian jet by the Turks and the cutting of the throat of one of the aircrew has not yet been punished by Russia?