Faking it in Syria

This article appears to have been removed from the original site, South Front.

In Photos: White Helmets Media Studio Producing “Evidence of Assad Regime War Crimes”

Global Research,

6 March, 2018

A pro-government media activist, Penelope Stafyla, has released a series of photos reportedly showing a media studio of the White Helmets, which produces “evidence of Assad regime war crimes” in the Eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital of Damascus.

These photos are especially interesting amid circulating reports about a new “chemical attack” by the “Assad regime” in Eastern Ghouta. The new “chemical attack” narrative came amid large gains by government forces against militants groups in the area and allegedly injured over 30 people.

For example, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported the alleged incident citing a report by the White Helments (source):

At least 30 people were treated for breathing difficulties after a regime chlorine gas attack in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, according to a Syrian civil defense agency on Tuesday.

Several children and women were among the victims of the attack in Hamuriye town on Monday, the White Helmets said in a statement.

The civil defense agency said two of its rescue workers were among the casualties.

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Accomplice To Genocide: US’s Fake News Ghouta Campaign At Its Ugliest Yet

Fort Russ,

5 March, 2018

Guest writer Joris de Draeck, creator of Planet News weighs in on the US’s fake news campaign and East Ghouta hysteria.

From Ghouta, the fake news campaign to demonize the elected Syrian government, flares up. The collection of mainstream media, still respected by so many, lead the pack these days with incessant reports on how civilians are targeted by the brutal “regime” – a word they just can not fail to repeat time and again. Ghouta indeed has been a “rebel” stronghold ever since the early days of the repulsive and staged “revolt” back in 2011.

It harbours and has held the individual elements, the individuals, having been fostered by the anti-Assad campaign. They are called “Rebels” openly and are nurtured by these Western governments who’d like to see Syria in shreds by backing diverse groups as the Kurds, Wahhabi Syrians, Salafist invaders, and external elements like the “White Helmets”, or the aptly named “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights”. It should be a warning to these themselves that they often are referred to as targets, as well as allies. All seems to be fair in wars against sovereignty.

Writing this between February 19 and February 22, the media campaign these days already focused on alleged bombardments by the Syrian forces. The observations from the ground were that Eastern-Ghouta itself had not been targeted until February 21 … The government’s focus before were the area’s supply lines. The Syrian government and its allies were involved in areas around Ghouta and were calling on civilians to leave the area and to provide intel if they do. It’s a strategy which has worked in the past. The resemblance of what happens now in the Eastern area of Damascus called Ghouta, is eerily similar to what we read and lived through in that other major city Aleppo.

However, the rebels supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and their Western allies, do not allow these civilians to leave. The Wahhabi predisposition does not – while that same religious conviction does allow extreme reaction against those who’d not wish to follow the Sharia law it proclaims.

The actions in and around Ghouta of the Syrian Arab Army consists of trying to dissolve the supply lines around it; they are focusing on movements of armaments and weaponry towards it while trying to provide for a way out for civilians. When Western consumers read about six hospitals having been bombed, the only real question they can ask is: “how many hospitals does a nation build in such a relatively small district?” Is it one or two – or the amazing amount of six?

They should ask themselves if, indeed there are six hospitals, Assad has not been too caring for his people to build such a massive amount? Indeed, the number again resembles the count in East-Aleppo where no less than 19 hospitals were bombarded if mainstream media were to be believed.

White Helmets and Other “Moderates”

It goes to show as well that these same media continuously use professional-quality footage from videographers close to the White Helmets. These same media don’t even refrain anymore from referring to them as Syria Civil Defence while they know full well the White Helmets can not be called upon using any emergency number, nor are they part of the International Civil Defense Organization or ICDO. In fact, as many individuals now know, they were created by an ex-British army officer and are sponsored by most all Western states to the tune of ten of millions of dollars a year. If journalists are unable to at least mention so, they are being dishonest, biased and far from objective in their reports.

Western media does report correctly that Eastern-Ghouta is home to civilians which is no reason to laud them for their inquisitiveness. It does also appropriately mention that food prices are many times higher than what they should be and that caring for loved ones has become increasingly difficult. They should continue with instructing the gullible public that the main party in control of the district is none other than Islamist faction Jaish al-Islam backed up by Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-ahli ash-Shām which then rebranded to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – probably to make it more recognisable and pronounceable to feverish fans unable to speak Arabic.

Yet even the latter name is a disguise for their former business card which would have stated al-Qaeda in Syria; a name they probably forewent because of the negative connotations the public at large had because of their alleged involvement on 9/11. These two groups are then mixed together with a bit of Jabhat al-Nusra. For the record and because it seems to need repetition to the many lucky journalists making big bucks writing nonsense: these groups are no sweethearts.

Violence Against Civilians?

When the public was confronted with the beheadings these people led, there was general and appropriate outrage spread throughout page upon page of mainstream media reports. How these same journalist can now write in defense of them, is beyond comprehension. The very same rationale seems to be followed: blame Assad and his allies for everything, including the desperation civilians go through under the reign of head-chopping “rebels”.

It has been proven time and again that the price of food and the lack of access to medicine in “rebel” areas is not a policy of the Assad government, but rather that of the above-mentioned extremist groups. Ask yourself: what does Assad gain by denying his civilians that access as is alleged? With all eyes on him, does it buy him international recognition and with Syrian eyes on him, does it buy him electoral votes?

However rhetoric these questions are, they are genuine ones to all consumers of mainstream news. Assad has been lauded for his tolerance before 2011 in a Syria where all religions, even the extreme Wahhabis making up the larger part of the “rebels” now, were able to practice and preach. His wife has been called “Rose of the Desert” by Vogue mere months prior to the “Arab Spring” ruining the steady progress the country was making. Assad, however much you don’t read it in mainstream press, is not the destabilizing force and never has been. It’s the “rebels” which popped up out of nowhere back in 2011 and which were able to, as if on cue, make mainstream headlines with a protest which lasted for under an hour and which was attended by dozens, not thousands.

We are seeing images of bombs, but we are not confronted with the desperate civilians blowing themselves, their workshop, their wife and kids to smithereens as did Syrian engineer Nizar Hassan back in 2014, because the alternative – to live under the “reign” of head-chopping rebels – was a worse prospect. The city Mr. Hassan lived in was Adra, part of the “Eastern-Ghouta” district so often mentioned. He probably did so after seeing his fellow citizens caged and trucked off to undefined destinies and after he witnessed women being forced to fire rudimentary and indiscriminate missiles on Damascus while wearing the “rebel Syrian flag”.

Mainstream Media are Accomplice to Genocide

The lies mainstream, backed by big-name NGO’s, barf out needs to stop while the public should be fully conscient about which party says and does what. It’s not Syria or Russia ever having invaded and destablized countries based on false pretexts; it is the Western ones. The public should question which countries there are. It’s these led by the US and accompanied by an amalgam of nations like most, if not all of Europe, Saudi-Arabia and Israel. The public really should have the desastrous outcomes of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and Vietnam on the top of their minds. If it does not, and if journalists fail to instruct them, the outlook for Syria looks bad.

There’s an analogy to make between East-Aleppo and Eastern-Ghouta. Both because of how these are framed in mainstream when they were and are being liberated, as of how the civilians will fare after the more than necessary cleansing the sovereign government with help of its allies did and do.

How many reports have you seen in mainstream about East-Aleppo after it had “fallen”? None probably. Why didn’t we? Because East-Aleppo’s civilians are free again. Let’s make sure these in Eastern-Ghouta are soon. That they do not need to revert to desperate action like blowing themselves up.