People around the world are demonstrating for Aleppo, Tweeting for Aleppo, posting on Facebook for Aleppo, or in the case of some politicians ‘expressing deep concern’ for Aleppo.
Worldwide protests for the weekend are listed here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/314393802256887/
In London tomorrow Saturday 1 October, protesters are gathering at Marble Arch at 12:30.
If we want action on Aleppo, we need to send a clear message, and just saying ‘Save Aleppo’ is not enough.
So if you are going on a protest, make a sign with a clear demand. Make your own sign so people can see you’ve thought about it.
If you can’t go on a protest, write to your MP. Writing to politicians sometimes feels hopeless, but a letter with a clear demand can count for a lot more than chanting on the street.
You can email your MP here:
https://www.writetothem.com/
You may feel your MP is not sympathetic. You can also write to the Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson MP, here:
fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk
You can write to Prime Minister Theresa May here:
https://email.number10.gov.uk/
What will you write on your protest sign? What will you say in the letter to your MP, or to the Foreign Secretary or Prime Minister?
Say exactly what you want to happen.
You could call for a No-Bombing Zone:
That means governments forcing an end to bombing by threatening the use of force against Assad’s military if it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t mean risking ground troops or fighting Russia; it means striking back only against Assad’s military, against runways and aircraft on the ground.
You could call for airdrops:
The UN only airdrops aid to Assad regime territory, and the regime won’t give them permission to airdrop aid to other areas. The UK, France, or US could do this. Call on the RAF to drop aid to people in Aleppo and other besieged areas.
You could call for aircraft tracking:
Use radar to track the aircraft bombing civilians, and name those responsible for each hospital bombing and each war crime. UK RAF and Royal Navy radar could do this. The US already tracks aircraft but keeps the data secret. Call on the UK to track aircraft and name and shame war criminals.
You could call for sanctions against Putin’s Russia:
Putin is bombing hospitals and schools. Putin’s bombs have killed more Syrian civilians than ISIS. Russian bombs are driving refugees out of Syria. So call for new sanctions. Call for Russia to be shut out of the SWIFT international bank payments system. The UK can do this with the EU.
You could call for sanctions against Iran:
The Guardian reports that Iran has massed 5,000 sectarian foreign militia fighters in Aleppo. Iran uses its airline companies Iran Air and Mahan Air to transport fighters to Syria. The UK and EU should block these airlines from using UK and EU airports.
For a more detailed look at these policy demands, please read our briefing, Aleppo Bombing: How to respond
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8F_plxTZSOKX3lNbnNQOTVlWEk/view