A range of Syrian women have denounced the US-UK funded group the ‘White Helmets’, led by a former British soldier and recently revealed to be financed by USAID. They come from all the country’s communities (e.g. Sunni, Alawi, Druze, Christian) but, like most Syrians, prefer to identify simply as Syrian.
Their comments follow the release of a range of evidence (Beeley 2015; Hands off Syria 2016) which show that the White Helmets – who present as ‘heroes’ rescuing civilians from the destruction of war – are in fact armed, partisan, western government funded and participating with Jabhat al Nusra (al Qaeda) in sectarian celebrations and executions.
Atalia from Tartus says: ‘the true fact about the white helmets is that they are FAKE and are just propaganda tools used by the US and UK administrations to justify military actions against the Syrian government, they were NOT created by Syrians nor do they serve Syria.’
Rana from Damascus says: ‘they are an armed force [which has] covered themselves under the wing of ‘humanitarian’ organization. In rural Idlib they did so many executions against Syrian civilians that doesn’t support the fake revolution. Their main support and fund comes from US government and UK government.’
A White Helmets (2015) video from Douma (NE Damascus countryside) shows the aftermath of a Syrian Government attack on Jabhat al Nusra and Jaysh al Islam terrorist groups, which had sent rockets and mortars into Damascus almost every day for several years, killing hundreds of people. The young men donning ‘White Helmets’ jackets to rescue their colleagues are indistinguishable from Islamist fighters. Portraying Islamist casualties as civilians is a long tradition in the war on Syria. US journalist Nir Rosen (2012) wrote some years back that ‘dead opposition fighters … [are often] described as innocent civilians killed by security forces’.
Samiah explains that the
‘White Helmets are supported by the US State Department, the same people who have brought to you the Free Syrian Army, who have morphed into Al Qaeda, Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS. They make me feel sick disgusting leeches who live on people’s pain and suffering.’ Mimi adds, the ‘white helmets have been filmed torturing and executing a Syrian soldier, they are not a humanitarian organisation.’
Backed by the Wall Street creation ‘The Syrian Campaign’ (Bartlett 2015) and often wrongly called ‘Syrian Civil Defence’, the White Helmets are the latest of a series of front groups, designed to give a ‘humanitarian’ gloss to Washington’s latest dreadful war of ‘regime change’ in the Middle East. Hind says ‘to us, they are nothing but a bunch of armed sectarian people giving a hand to the other terrorist groups on ground to justify this dirty war on our country.’
Prof. Tim Anderson’s latest book “The Dirty War on Syria” is now available for pre-order from our online store.
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Notes
Bartlett, Eva (2015) ‘Human Rights” front groups (“Humanitarian Interventionalists”) warring on Syria’, In Gaza, Fall, online:https://ingaza.wordpress.com/syria/human-rights-front-groups-humanitarian-interventionalists-warring-on-syria/
Beeley, Vanessa (2015) ‘Syria’s White Helmets: War by Way of Deception’, 21st century Wire, 23 October, online:http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/10/23/syrias-white-helmets-war-by-way-of-deception-part-1/.
Hands off Syria (2016) ‘The White Helmets – al Qaeda with a facelift’, 29 April, online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aAaReVn2I4
Rosen, Nir (2012) ‘Q&A: Nir Rosen on Syria’s armed opposition’, Al Jazeera, 13 Feb, online:http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/02/201221315020166516.html
White Helmets (2015) ‘الشهداء تحترق و الجرحى تملئ شوارع المدينة – مجزرة #دوما 2015.10.30 +18 مؤثر جدا ً
31 October, online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyJI_FRA8Hc&index=6&list=PLujxCZ2NjjytaeZe3W5mpAQQILr5hSIDW
