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US Peace Council Representatives condemn US Syrian narrative as a lie

In July 2016, the US Peace Council sent a delegation to Syria for a week in order to meet with Syrian secular and religious leaders. What they discovered there shocked even those members of the peace movement who had assumed a certain level of US propaganda. They returned to the US to speak at the UN where they denounced the entire US/western depiction and narrative of Syria as a propagandist lie.

Please watch this presser in full and share as widely as you can.


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mohandeer
mohandeer
Oct 20, 2016 3:02 PM

Reblogged this on Worldtruth.

Schlüter
Schlüter
Oct 6, 2016 11:02 AM

Well, „A Quotation We Should Never Forget!“ https://wipokuli.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/a-quotation-we-should-never-forget/
Andreas Schlüter
Sociologist
Berlin, Germany

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Oct 21, 2016 11:02 PM
Reply to  Schlüter

One of my ‘favorite’ quotes…….(not that I agree with it). The people ‘at the top’ in America, don’t even try to hide their arrogance these days……but still love to point their fingers at Assad, Chavez(deceased) and many other foreign leaders and point out how EVIL they are….. And the Mainstream Media haven’t noticed the hypocrisy, apparently.

Arrby
Arrby
Oct 4, 2016 11:51 PM

Was it Wahhabism that tortured rendered Canadian citizen (innocent and later compensated by the Canadian government) Maher Arar?

Bonnie
Bonnie
Oct 4, 2016 7:20 PM

Vanessa Beeley was also interviewed about her investigations in Syria, and has choice words for the White Helmets.

Arrby
Arrby
Oct 4, 2016 6:32 PM

Well, I finally got to (start to) listen to this important presentation. I will be able to finish watching the presentation later today and I look forward to it. So far, What I’ve heard are reports that jibe with what I know, not from major media, but alt media. And it’s exactly what the authors of the report assert that the American people need to know. Which is to say that it’s factual, and one of those facts is that the American people are being fed propaganda by the major media. The co-author of the presentation, Dr. Henry (last name?), observes that when he spoke with a Muslim leader about how many Muslims there were in the country, the answer he was given was 23 million. He notes that it was the exact same answer he received from the Christian rep and the Orthodox rep and he cites those exchanges as constituting proof that the US would like to divide and conquer Syria. I absolutely agree that the US is employing divide and conquer in Syria. That’s part of it’s modus operandi, always. But, unlike the delegation, I found the comments made to it by those religious figures to be alarming in a different way. Unless something comes up in the presentation that clarifies those statements made to the delegations representatives by those religious figures, I’m left with a feeling of unease about religious leaders who regard those fellow Syrians who hold to different religious beliefs than they do as non existent.

mohandeer
mohandeer
Oct 20, 2016 3:29 PM
Reply to  Arrby

Syrians intermarry among the different faiths and Christians will join in celebrations of Muslim observances and Muslims – Shi’ite and Sunni, will join the Christians in their observances. It’s a bit like describing Great Britain as having 68 million Christians, because irrespective of faith, we are all British. I have absolutely no idea how many Muslims we have in the country, but to me, they are all Brits and fall under the same banner of a Christian country. I’m not being dismissive of all the various ethnics we have in this country, as far as I am concerned they are all brothers and sisters.
Vanessa Beeley or Eva Bartlett, did a piece in which various Syrians of different faiths, including Christians, all spoke about what they saw as Syrian life and what it meant to be Syrian.
Dr. Assad is Alawhite but attends Christian Mass and has done so on more than one occasion.
Perhaps the different clerics responses to the question you query could be viewed in this light. No doubt Mohammed himself viewed Pagans, Christians and Jews as all being one faith in Medina, the city he founded.
Hopefully I don’t leave you feeling uneasy, because I still speak of England as a Christian country, even though I am an atheist. How would a cleric of the US describe the 340+million Americans? Let’s hope he doesn’t see the other religions as being non existent.

Mark James
Mark James
Oct 2, 2016 11:12 AM

Have posted this video on the Guardian’s CIF in this propaganda piece https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/02/how-have-we-tolerated-barbarism-visited-on-aleppo . So far it hasn’t been censored because I used the YouTube link, not the OffGuardian link.

Admin
Admin
Oct 2, 2016 11:22 AM
Reply to  Mark James

Thanks – Let us know if they take it down!

damien
damien
Oct 2, 2016 7:04 AM

Vanessa Beeley has just published an outstanding article on what’s happening in Syria: “Journey To Aleppo Part I: Exposing The Truth Buried Under NATO Propaganda”
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/10/01/journey-to-aleppo-part-i-exposing-the-truth-buried-under-nato-propaganda/

Arrby
Arrby
Oct 21, 2016 10:38 PM
Reply to  damien

I discovered 21st Century Wire through this site. I’ve seen it before, but hadn’t really taken notice. I am sort of keeping track of articles and info about the White Helmets and 21st C carried one. Until they didn’t. Do my computers have gremlins? And try contacting them. I linked to them on my blog but then turned right around and deleted the link because they’re an unknown to me and those things I just mentioned are disconcerting.

nexusxyz
nexusxyz
Oct 2, 2016 5:34 AM

Nothing the US spouts is truthful. At one time they could hide behind the bringing ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ crap and the absurd notion of them being a global policeman. Not any more as the narrative is busted and the putrid nature of what is a declining empire is exposed for world to see. Must be almost impossible for the Russians to get motivated to negotiate knowing they (the degenerates in Washington) are thoroughly perfidious.

Norman Pilon
Norman Pilon
Oct 1, 2016 11:26 PM

For people who might be interested in countering the anti-Syrian propaganda of the mainstream press-titutes, as both primary and highly credible independent journalistic sources, the websites of Vanessa Beeley and Eva Bartlett are as follows:
Vanessa Beeley’s website is <a href=“https://thewallwillfall.org/thewallwillfall”
Eva Bartlett’s website is ”In Gaza”

Norman Pilon
Norman Pilon
Oct 1, 2016 11:28 PM
Reply to  Norman Pilon

Oooops. Sorry. Let me try that again for Vanessa”
Vanessa Beeley’s website is ”thewallwillfall”

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Oct 21, 2016 11:13 PM
Reply to  Norman Pilon

Anyone old enough to remember the Berlin Wall, will recall it was used endlessly for propaganda purposes by the USA to illustrate how EVIL the Communists were(compared to the Capitalists now in complete control of the USA). But the USA is MUTE about the Wall in Israel which excludes the Palestinians from their own land…….. The USA(laughingly calling itself, The World’s Policeman) silence is deafening…….

Toppolina
Toppolina
Oct 1, 2016 10:22 PM

Thank you for restoring our faith in our people… It is people like you who make us respected and loved around the world. Unfortunately, our government is destroying the beautiful American image, especially in countries in the middle east, with all the destruction it has done in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Sinai… basing all of this on lies, greed, hubris, and hatred

Pete
Pete
Oct 1, 2016 8:15 PM

The best (for want of a better word, unfortunately) post I’ve yet seen on OffGraun.
Just one question: when did this press conference take place?

deschutes
deschutes
Oct 2, 2016 7:52 AM
Reply to  Pete

Here is an article from the US Peacecouncil’s website about their last week of July 2016 trip to Syria-
http://uspeacecouncil.org/
From the UN’s website here is the presentation, it took place August 9th 2016-
http://webtv.un.org/watch/bashar-ja%E2%80%99afari-syria-and-us-peace-council-representatives-on-syria-press-conference/5077088426001

Greg Bacon
Greg Bacon
Oct 1, 2016 3:15 PM

Most of my fellow Americans have been so dumbed-down by relentless propaganda, a busted educational system, their addiction to sports and their worship of Hollywood celebrities that they have no idea of what is taking place in Syria or how we are inching close to WW III with Russia.
When those nukes start popping off on the horizon, they’ll be taking a ‘selfie’ with the mushroom cloud in the background.
American have also been taught to worship the military. One local store offers a 5% discount to current/former US military members, so I went there once to get my share. When the clerk started clucking like a parrot, “Thank you for your service,” I tried to explain to her how I was a trained killer, used to go overseas and bust up nations for the benefit of Wall Street and the MIC, but she got a confused look on her face and I shut up.
I no longer go there on those days, I don’t need the cash back that bad.

flybow
flybow
Oct 1, 2016 3:26 PM
Reply to  Greg Bacon

Thanks for that post Greg. Love and respect mate.

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Oct 1, 2016 9:33 PM
Reply to  Greg Bacon

I believe that numerous ex servicemen(veterans) find employment with various police departments when they return to civilian life in the USA. This may go some way to explaining why American police seem to be far more aggressive than police overseas, and why they tend to ‘shoot first and ask questions later’. Is that your understanding, Greg?

Jen
Jen
Oct 1, 2016 10:36 PM

US police departments send staff to Israel for training on how to be a de facto paramilitary police force. And Israel also sends instructors to US state police departments at their invitation.
Check out this article from Paul Craig Roberts over at Global Research:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/police-murder-because-they-are-trained-to-murder-the-militarization-of-law-enforcement/5535399
Goes some way (not all the way) to explaining why US police target individuals from minority groups and behave aggressively. Of course this may dovetail with police officers having served in previous US wars and having been trained by the military to regard other people as subhuman.

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Oct 1, 2016 11:52 PM
Reply to  Jen

Further evidence of the coercive, internecine relationship Israel has over the USA. The USA can’t train its own police? Like every other country trains its own police? Everywhere you look at the highest levels of the American government, there is overwhelming Israeli influence. The Israeli tail, wagging the American dog…….

deschutes
deschutes
Oct 2, 2016 8:27 AM
Reply to  Jen

Yes Jen’s spot on: the USA and Israel for many years now have a special ongoing training program where police departments all over the USA have their police go to Israel and train under the IDF forces in the occupied territories. Also, IDF instructors go to larger US cities and train the police departments in IDF tactics to use in inner cities, most typically poor black areas of large urban cities, ghettos, etc. For example, Rahm Emanuel the mayor of Chicago
“How could this be in the civilian government of Chicago? In part, because Police Superintendent McCarthy and the City of Chicago sought out and received training by Israeli occupation forces in “counter-terrorism” policing, that is, “pacifying” a population through aggressive intelligence gathering and the application of military force. Counter-insurgency is the term used for when this doctrine is applied by military forces.
This collaboration between Israel and U.S. police agencies, including Chicago, emerged after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. Since then, by one count, at least 300 high-ranking sheriffs and police from cities both large and small have received counter-terrorism training in Israel. For instance, in January 2003, 33 senior U.S. law enforcement officials from Chicago and other major American cities flew to Israel for sessions on “Law Enforcement in the Era of Global Terror.”
Above quote source: https://consortiumnews.com/2016/07/11/chicago-police-adopt-israeli-tactics-2/
It’s worth pointing out that it is the Israeli IDF which are training the American police–NOT the other way around! This certainly puts American police in a bad light, like they are inferior to the Israeli military police forces.
Last comment: it is not only that US police departments are being trained in Israeli occupation techniques used to put down and oppress Palestinians; what’s more, all of the surplus military equipment from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is now being sent back to USA to be distributed to police departments all over the country! –
http://www.stripes.com/how-and-why-local-police-departments-get-military-surplus-equipment-1.299570
So America’s police departments are now equipped with surplus equipment such as: humvees, rocket propelled grenade launchers, armored personnel carriers, machine guns, mortar launchers, etc. It’s all good right? What worked well in Falluja on angry Arabs will work well on angry blacks in Fergeson Missouri, right? What’s the difference? But seriously what in the hell are they thinking?

Bonnie
Bonnie
Oct 4, 2016 7:31 PM
Reply to  deschutes

Documentary about America’s police state opened here last weekend:
DO NOT RESIST:

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Oct 21, 2016 11:17 PM
Reply to  Greg Bacon

5% discount? for servicemen who risked their lives for “Freedom and Democracy”? What a pissy deal that is……

Sean Bronson
Sean Bronson
Oct 1, 2016 10:07 AM

wow, so powerful.

deschutes
deschutes
Oct 1, 2016 9:26 AM

At about the 20:00 mark, the lady from the Peace council reports one of the findings from their visit: the Assad government provides free universal healthcare to all Syrians. Remember: this is the evil regime which has ‘got to go’ as propagandist in chief Obama keeps harping on. This same speaker mentioned another key finding from their visit to Damascus and smaller villages outside Damascus: the Syrians they interviewed all said “we are Syrians, regardless of our religion. It is the rebel terrorists who are trying to separate us into religious factions, the rebels who Israel and USA are training, arming and equipping. This is exactly what we encountered in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war from our interviews with Iraqis: they did not consider themselves Sunni or Shia; no, they were all Iraqis regardless of religion, a secular state.” It was the USA which deliberately created the Shia vs. Sunni divide in Iraq in order to create a civil war, and to divide the country into separate religious factions to destroy it, balkanize it. Now the USA/Israel are doing the exact same thing in Syria”. As an American I’m utterly repulsed by my government’s actions in the Middle East. The USA is a most murderous regime.

falcemartello
falcemartello
Oct 1, 2016 5:23 AM

As always their r 2 sides to the story but we in the west prefer propaganda to reality. I might add I luved the answer to the barrel bombs question. It was anglo version of Lavarov brilliant .

Brian Harry, Australia
Brian Harry, Australia
Sep 30, 2016 10:00 PM

That female “journalist”, who was clearly there as a stooge for the MSM, didn’t identify herself. Does anyone recognise her and therefore know which “news” organisation she represented? She clearly had no respect for the peace group and what they had tried to achieve by their visit, and seemed solely interested in discrediting them. Totally disgraceful. She will probably get a bonus for it.

deschutes
deschutes
Oct 1, 2016 9:41 AM

Actually she wasn’t that good–even in terms of defending the official Washington narrative. First she tries to discredit the Peace group by accusing them of being funded by the Assad regime. Then she asks if they brought up barrel bombing in their meeting with Assad and the ceasefire agreement. The speaker Lowendorf easily refutes her questions: barrel bombing is an American- coined propaganda term. He rightly points out refugees which have tried to escape the fighting mostly went to the government side where they are safe–NOT to the rebel side. “But what are barrel bombs”? is the best the lady reporter could come up with. Lame.

Jen
Jen
Oct 1, 2016 9:57 PM
Reply to  deschutes

The woman journalist did not even have any idea what “barrel bombs” are. She seemed to think they are delivered by tanks. You’d think that as a reporter she would have done some basic background research into what barrel bombs are. How hard is it to Google the term “barrel bomb”?
From Wikipedia:
“A barrel bomb is an improvised unguided bomb, sometimes described as a flying IED (improvised explosive device). They are typically made from a large barrel-shaped metal container that has been filled with high explosives, possibly shrapnel, oil or chemicals as well, and then dropped from a helicopter or airplane.[1] Due to the large amount of explosives (up 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb)), their poor accuracy and indiscriminate use in populated civilian areas (including refugee camps), the resulting detonations have been devastating.[2][3][4] Critics have characterised them as weapons of terror and illegal under international conventions …”
Well now that we know what they are, I guess the implication of the constant association of the term with the Syrian military and RuAF is that they are incredibly inferior and primitive armed forces relying on outdated technologies and have a brutal and cowardly mind-set that does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The thinking behind such propaganda is not only astoundingly arrogant but crude and racist.

Mike Parr
Mike Parr
Sep 30, 2016 7:00 PM

“mercenaries & terrorists” – two different groups? I guess Daesh are the terrorists? so who is paying the mercenaries? who do they fight for? what do they fight for?

Pete
Pete
Oct 1, 2016 8:12 PM
Reply to  Mike Parr

Who pays: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, France, the US … and others
What are they fighting for: their pay
What do the paymasters want: Assad out, a balkanized, supine Syria

Sav
Sav
Sep 30, 2016 5:02 PM

I saw this previously. Disgusting how barely any journalists were there and even one of them was totally unprofessional and antagonistic. Would she dare speak to anyone else like that? Thinks she’ll get a high five from her fellow sociopaths and brainwashed morons.

bill
bill
Sep 30, 2016 4:05 PM

i believe most of us have known for a long time that the US narrative is a lie but its excellent that the peace group went and found out for themselves …. The UK Parl Committee Report offers insights into the massive MSM propaganda machine here over the Libyan atrocity we just rolled along with( only 13 MPs saying no to the no-fly zone) where the Guardian is a main player- Deir Ezzor was another war crime involving the RAF and there are no doubt mnay more there we dont know about….
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmfaff/119/119.pdf