‘Hands off’: Syrians form human shields outside possible US strike targets

[ocpagu]

As the US Congress inches closer to a decision on a military strike on Syria, citing allegations that Assad forces used chemical weapons against the civilian population, activists in Damascus are stepping up their protest against possible attacks.

Damascene activists protesting possible US strikes on Syria set up a camp at the foot of Qasioun Mountain just outside the capital on Tuesday.

Qasioun Mountain, a symbol of Damascus and Syria, is home to many security and military buildings and institutions and thus is expected to be one of the targets for the airstrikes. Protesters rallying beside the place called themselves a “human shield” and hold banners featuring slogans such as “No more American bombing democracy” and “Hands off Syria”.

“We are here to express our loyalty to our country in the face of American threats. We don’t want what they did in Iraq over chemical weapons claims to be done in our country,” one of the rally participants told RT.

Read more and see video:
http://rt.com/news/syria-activists-us-bombing-380/

[Catherina]

1. What CNN isn't reporting this? Nothing like having an incomplete picture before slaughtering 1000s

KISS MY ASS WAR HAWKS. You're only 9% of the US population and your numbers will only go down as the truth comes out. "We was fooled" only works for so many of your sick wars. Take your garlands of flowers and stick them.

[ocpagu]

2. Interesting how RT is one of the very few media outlets resporting about Syrians response.

I guess showing Syrians opposing the destruction of their country is not good for their narrative of how people there are desperate begging for missiles and bombs to be dropped on them...

[el_bryanto]

3. It's also at least possible that the people rallying in support of the Assad regime

are different people than the ones he set fire to.

Bryant

[ocpagu]

4. They are not "rallying in support of the Assad regime".

They are protesting against a foreign government attacking them, killing their children, destroying their homes. Who wouldn't.

[cali]

7. that's rather naive. Odds are great that these are Assad loyalists.

And obviously lots of Syrians wouldn't. There's a civil war taking place, remember?

[Catherina]

10. Or the ones who were sickened by the Western-backed rebles cannibalizing their victims?

and not only eating their hearts and liver on film but uploading it to youtube in a fit of self righteous glory?

Or slaughtering a 14 year old atheist for insulting the Prophet Mohammed? That's when the Western-backed rebels LOST any support they were trying for among the Syrian people. Sawing off priest's heads with knives guaranteed NO support from Syrians who value peace and human rights in their country.

Or lining up very young children, reading their *sins* to them and machine-gunning them down?

WARNING to protect my post from the war supporters whose fingers are glued to that alert button. This video is graphic by WarHawk Ostrich Censorship standards. I put GRAPHIC in bold so don't even fucking pretend this was thrust in anyone's innocent face.

[polly7]

12. I can't imagine why ordinary Syrians wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of these

people leading their country.

How freaking horrible.

[polly7]

21. Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West

By C. J. CHIVERS

Published: September 5, 2013

The Syrian rebels posed casually, standing over their prisoners with firearms pointed down at the shirtless and terrified men.

The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels’ commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/world/middleeast/brutality-of-syrian-rebels-pose-dilemma-in-west.html?pagewanted=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130905

[Catherina]

6. Interesting how supporters of the war are are doing all they can to censor RT here

and then in 3 years they'll be pretending they were *fooled* to try to salvage some credibility. Liars.

[KittyWampus]

8. The Syrian Alawites are looking at some heavy duty retribution if Assad's regime falls.

If they were smart they'd start looking to the military to get Assad and his brother out of there and replaced with someone who will negotiate.

[jakeXT]

9. CNN's Amanpour is not in Syria I believe /nt

[Xithras]

20. Russian media orgs are the only ones who travel widely in Syria

ANNA has also been releasing some absolutely amazing footage throughout the war.

I don't generally watch RT on TV, but I've caught some of their Syrian reporting over the past few months and have been surprised at the quality of their broadcasts. I know that they're not a favored news source here on DU, but they really have been doing some quality groundwork there.

[Harmony Blue]

5. Yemenis protesting a foreign power impossing its will on another nation

yeah I didn't see this coming.

[MineralMan]

11. Voice of Kremlin speaks.

Could be true. Could be false. Who can tell?

[ocpagu]

13. There's a video showing people surrounding possible military targets in the link...

I don't think they could have faked that...

[MineralMan]

14. There is video of people somewhere all over the Internet.

Where they actually are and who they actually are is typically unclear. Your use of the words "possible military targets" is confirmation of that. We don't know. RT is telling us that's who they are and where they are.

I'm more skeptical than that of everything I see.

[ocpagu]

16. They are "possible" military targets because the strikes haven't started yet.

That's obvious, isn't it?

No problem in being skeptical. But true skeptical people try to get information from both sides before forming an opinion. People talk so much about RT, but the US media outlet is pretty much as submissive to Washington's agenda to be taken without scrutinity.

[MineralMan]

18. Information from more than one place isn't always

available simultaneously. That's why I often have to reserve judgment. In this case, that is the situation, so I'm reserving judgment.

We're getting a lot of information from a lot of places. It's not all accurate, clearly. It's entirely possible that none of it is all that accurate. This whole situation requires time to analyze, and better access to information than YouTube and various news outlets.

But, I'm particularly skeptical of government run news outlets of any kind. History has taught me that.

[joshcryer]

23. Yeah, strikes haven't been ordered.

Of course people are comfortable standing around military targets for a photo op.

This reminds me of Gaddafi shipping people to various areas around Libya to do photo ops.

Eventually it became untenable and people refused to be a part of it.

[Egalitarian Thug]

15. Quit being a sucker. n/t

[ocpagu]

17. Learn to argument. See? I've learned it, therefore I don't need to call you names. n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

19. I believe that 'argue' is the word you were searching for. By falling for any BS you are fed by

the media, you are helping them to distract others as well as yourself. Why is it that you imagine that the tens of thousands of Syrians slaughtered for years never made any news before?

Pay attention to what they're doing with their left hand while they're distracting you with their right.

[joshcryer]

22. RT propaganda.

Those supporting Assad in Damascus are well to do and I assure you, I promise you, that if strikes are ordered they'll be surprisingly absent from the targets.