By Dr Yasmine Nahlawi, Dr Mohammad Isreb and Kellie Strom
First published by the i paper
Today marks the first anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox, who was a great friend, a beautiful soul, and a true humanitarian.
While the entire country grieves for Jo, for Syrians in the UK her death represents a double blow.
In Jo we lost a voice for tolerance and inclusion, a voice to counter racism and xenophobia.
Syrian refugees particularly appreciated her strong compassion, which lives on in the Jo Cox Foundation’s support for Hope Not Hate, and in the Great Get Together events marking this anniversary.
But for Jo, supporting refugees was not enough. She also wanted to help those Syrians still inside Syria, the ones unable to escape.
• Supporting Syrians
She supported Syria Civil Defence, the rescuers known as the White Helmets. In parliament, Jo made one central demand: protect civilians. She didn’t just sympathise with Syrians, she fought for their rights with relentless passion.
Many on both the left and the right are content with the UK’s role in accepting refugees, delivering humanitarian aid, and fighting only ISIS.
But Jo understood that the refugee crisis, the humanitarian crisis, and the terrorism threat all stemmed from a single atrocity: Bashar al-Assad’s war against those Syrian civilians who opposed his rule.
Jo rejected the suggestion that we ‘need to make a choice between dealing with either Assad or ISIS.’ She recognised that ‘Assad is ISIS’s biggest recruiting sergeant, and as long as his tyranny continues, so too will ISIS’s terror.’
She advocated a comprehensive approach to Syria involving humanitarian, diplomatic, and military measures.
• More than words
Those three aspects of UK policy—diplomatic, military, humanitarian—remain out of sync. British diplomats demand an end to the killing, but have nothing to give force to their words.
Britain’s military focuses only on ISIS, constrained from acting to stop Assad’s bombing, or even from acting when Assad uses chemical weapons.
Britain’s aid workers deliver record amounts of aid, but don’t have the backing from government to do aid airdrops to besieged communities.
An ever-worsening situation for civilians in Syria and refugees outside Syria is matched by a strengthening of pro-Assad forces dominated by militias, by Iran’s foreign fighters, and by Hezbollah, who are a growing terrorist threat.
ISIS is pushed back, but there is no end to terror in sight.
Jo’s analysis has proven true: fail to protect civilians and we fail by every other measure.
• Where are we now?
Jo would have been utterly disappointed to see that her calls for a no-bombing zone and aid drops, including in her last speech as an MP, were ignored.
The UK has stood by as residents of cities such as Daraya and East Aleppo were forced from their homes by starvation sieges and air attacks.
She would have been horrified by the chemical attack on the city of Khan Sheihoun in April, and by the continued daily bombardment of hospitals and residential areas by Assad and Putin, most recently in Daraa.
What would she have thought of the US strike in response to the chemical attack?
She did call for the UK to use the threat of just such a targeted response as a deterrent, not just against chemical attacks but against all bombing of civilians.
Her aim would have been to stop the killing, not to stop just one type of weapon.
• Jo’s legacy on Syria
Jo would clearly have found it unacceptable that the International Coalition against ISIS is now itself killing hundreds of civilians in Syria, outpacing even Assad and Russia’s toll in the month of May. The Coalition even reportedly used white phosphorous on the city of Raqqah.
The RAF is not implicated in these escalating killings. But as UK Syrians recently wrote to the Prime Minister, the UK is ‘a major partner in the Coalition, with a British officer as deputy commander, and therefore carries joint responsibility for such actions.’
In the aftermath of her murder, Jo’s brave and passionate work for Syria was praised by UK political leaders from both major parties. The reality, however, is that her legacy on Syria has not been honoured in Westminster.
• Compassion without borders
In reflecting on today’s anniversary, let us renew our commitment to the ideals to which Jo pledged her life.
Let us embrace our diversity as a country and advocate for tolerance. And let us make a fresh start for Syria with civilian protection at the core of our policy.
Let us ensure accountability for our own actions and those of our allies. Let us listen to Syrians, and work for a solution that respects Syrians’ rights and enables them to enjoy a peaceful future in a free Syria.
Jo’s ideals and her compassion were not limited by borders. Let them not limit ours.
Dr Yasmine Nahlawi is Research and Policy Coordinator for Rethink Rebuild Society, a Manchester-based Syrian advocacy and community organisation.
Dr Mohammad Isreb is a member of the Syrian Association of Yorkshire.
Kellie Strom is Secretariat to the Friends of Syria All-Party Parliamentary Group and a member of Syria Solidarity UK.
Showing posts with label Jo Cox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jo Cox. Show all posts
Friday, 16 June 2017
Sunday, 28 August 2016
Daraya, The Democratic Experience
About Daraya Council
This profile of Daraya Council was published in the 17 May 2016 issue of the APPG Friends of Syria's newsletter, Syria Notes.
According to the Local Council of Daraya City, it was founded on 17 October 2012, a few weeks after a massacre by the Assad regime of 700 civilians, mostly women, children, and elderly people.
The council serves a population of 8,300 people. The council has 120 members inside Daraya, as well as representatives working outside of Daraya. Every six months, individuals are elected to positions of responsibility by a secret ballot of all members of the council. An individual can only run for the same position for two consecutive rounds. The head of the council is elected by the people through public elections.
Daraya is living through its fourth year of siege, the longest period that any Syrian area has survived under siege. The council must provide all essential services, such as water, electricity, and communications. The council’s aid office does its best to provide aid to the population. It runs a public kitchen that provides a daily cooked meal for people, but it is dependent on availability of resources. The aid office supervises cultivation of farming land, and divides crops between the people. All aid services are provided free to all. So far more than 1,000 tons of aid have been provided.
As well as aid within Daraya, members of Daraya Council help organise aid in 40 different cities inside and outside Syria for refugees and displaced people from Daraya.
The council’s medical office provides services to those injured in attacks on the city. The office runs the only field hospital in the city, which deals with all kinds of medical needs, from traumatic injuries, to child birth, to complicated medical operations. The field hospital operates with very few resources.
The council runs three primary schools in Daraya. There were plans to expand to cover secondary education, but these were suspended because of the recent increase in attacks by the regime. There are no other forms of education in the town, due the constant bombardment and the lack of staff.
Other services include street cleaning, providing clean water, and fortifying shelters to protect civilians from bombardment.
Daraya is defended by its own. The Syrian Army in Daraya is made up of local citizens, and there are no other military forces in the town, nor any form of extremists. The military office is under the civil authority of the council.
Daraya Council website:
http://darayacouncil.org/
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Defiling the Graves of Lesvos
By Brian Slocock
Graves of unidentified refugees on the Greek island of Lesvos. Photo by Giorgos Moutafis.
The fund established to continue the work of slain MP Jo Cox has come under attack from assorted far right forces (and unfortunately someone once associated with the British left) for including in its list of beneficiaries the White Helmets—the volunteer civil defence service that act as first responders to bombing attacks on Syrian opposition communities, digging dead and injured victims out of the rubble.
The White Helmets have been subjected to a vicious slander campaign by a network of Syrian regime supporters, centred around Australian university lecturer Tim Anderson.
These people have long supported Assad’s bloody campaign of repression against anyone who dares to challenge his power, but their attack on the White Helmets carries this to a new level: not only do they cheer on the mass slaughter in Syria, they also seek to deny Assad’s victims the elementary right to rescue their loved ones and to bury their dead. This is akin to the ‘double tap’ attack favoured by both Assad and the Israeli air force: first you bomb a community and then you drop a second bomb to hit those who come out in response to the attack. But in this case the first attack comes in the form of the rhetorical onslaught by Anderson and his supporters, who seek to prevent the very existence of any form of civil defence in Syrian opposition communities—and then the real bombs drop.
This is a regression to medieval standards of warfare—as far as I know not even Lord Haw Haw objected when the British authorities appointed air raid wardens in the Second World War.
Nick Griffin’s tweet smearing Syria Civil Defence and the Jo Cox Fund.
Most of those contributing to this campaign have come from various sections of the far right: Nick Griffin of the BNP, British and US groups associated with the ‘libertarian right,’ climate change deniers, and opponents of the great ‘globalist’ conspiracy to take over the world—which they describe as linked to Jews, to Freemasons, and of course to green lizards from outer space. One vociferous supporter of Anderson can be found on the internet engaged with white supremacists branding Nelson Mandela a ‘terrorist.’
An unexpected, recent denizen of this fetid milieu is erstwhile British leftist Tariq Ali, who has reposted one of the cruder attacks on the memory of Jo Cox and the White Helmets on his Facebook page.
However, while all this chatter is going on the White Helmets are going about their work across large parts of Syria, braving Assad’s bombs to save lives and recover bodies (some 50,000 lives saved in the course of their operations at the cost of over 100 of their own lives), with modest support from some western governments, from public fund raising, and from sympathetic bodies like the London Fire Brigades Union. This gives them an annual budget about one-third the size of the fire service for a small English city, which usually has nothing more serious to deal with than chip fat fires and motor accidents. Clearly the resources that Jo Cox’s fund will provide to them can make an important contribution to saving lives in Syria.
There is a bitter twist to this tale: Assad supporter Tim Anderson, who is intimately associated with this attack on the White Helmets, has been invited to speak at the Crossing Borders conference on the Greek island of Lesvos, where many Syrian refugees have landed after a perilous sea voyage, and where over 60 who died in the attempt are buried. These are some of the pearls of wisdom he wants to share with the Conference:
The spectacle of a supporter of the Assad regime being feted at a conference ostensibly concerned with refugees, just metres from the graves of victims of that same regime, would seem to be something that could only take place in a particularly bad dream. Yet it is due to happen next month, with Tim Anderson speaking under the sponsorship of Stop the War and the People’s Assembly against Austerity, and with Tariq Ali also on the platform. Anderson’s supporters are already crowing at this recognition.
While two scheduled speakers have refused to take part in this absurd farce, repeated attempts by Syrian solidarity activists to persuade Stop the War to take a stand against it have met a stone wall.
The reputation of the British left, of peace activism and of refugee support movements, is being challenged here. Pause and reflect for a moment how Syrian refugees will feel on hearing of this event, of what it says about how much real understanding and concern there is in this country for their suffering and lived histories. Anyone with political understanding should appreciate how callous this act is; anyone with an ounce of moral conscience should feel compelled to speak out in protest to the conference organisers, sponsors, and speakers.
PRESS RELEASE: Who is attacking the Jo Cox Fund for supporting Syria’s rescue volunteers?
Tariq Ali repeats the smear against Syria Civil Defence and the Jo Cox Fund on Facebook.
Graves of unidentified refugees on the Greek island of Lesvos. Photo by Giorgos Moutafis.
The fund established to continue the work of slain MP Jo Cox has come under attack from assorted far right forces (and unfortunately someone once associated with the British left) for including in its list of beneficiaries the White Helmets—the volunteer civil defence service that act as first responders to bombing attacks on Syrian opposition communities, digging dead and injured victims out of the rubble.
The White Helmets have been subjected to a vicious slander campaign by a network of Syrian regime supporters, centred around Australian university lecturer Tim Anderson.
These people have long supported Assad’s bloody campaign of repression against anyone who dares to challenge his power, but their attack on the White Helmets carries this to a new level: not only do they cheer on the mass slaughter in Syria, they also seek to deny Assad’s victims the elementary right to rescue their loved ones and to bury their dead. This is akin to the ‘double tap’ attack favoured by both Assad and the Israeli air force: first you bomb a community and then you drop a second bomb to hit those who come out in response to the attack. But in this case the first attack comes in the form of the rhetorical onslaught by Anderson and his supporters, who seek to prevent the very existence of any form of civil defence in Syrian opposition communities—and then the real bombs drop.
This is a regression to medieval standards of warfare—as far as I know not even Lord Haw Haw objected when the British authorities appointed air raid wardens in the Second World War.
Nick Griffin’s tweet smearing Syria Civil Defence and the Jo Cox Fund.
Most of those contributing to this campaign have come from various sections of the far right: Nick Griffin of the BNP, British and US groups associated with the ‘libertarian right,’ climate change deniers, and opponents of the great ‘globalist’ conspiracy to take over the world—which they describe as linked to Jews, to Freemasons, and of course to green lizards from outer space. One vociferous supporter of Anderson can be found on the internet engaged with white supremacists branding Nelson Mandela a ‘terrorist.’
An unexpected, recent denizen of this fetid milieu is erstwhile British leftist Tariq Ali, who has reposted one of the cruder attacks on the memory of Jo Cox and the White Helmets on his Facebook page.
However, while all this chatter is going on the White Helmets are going about their work across large parts of Syria, braving Assad’s bombs to save lives and recover bodies (some 50,000 lives saved in the course of their operations at the cost of over 100 of their own lives), with modest support from some western governments, from public fund raising, and from sympathetic bodies like the London Fire Brigades Union. This gives them an annual budget about one-third the size of the fire service for a small English city, which usually has nothing more serious to deal with than chip fat fires and motor accidents. Clearly the resources that Jo Cox’s fund will provide to them can make an important contribution to saving lives in Syria.
There is a bitter twist to this tale: Assad supporter Tim Anderson, who is intimately associated with this attack on the White Helmets, has been invited to speak at the Crossing Borders conference on the Greek island of Lesvos, where many Syrian refugees have landed after a perilous sea voyage, and where over 60 who died in the attempt are buried. These are some of the pearls of wisdom he wants to share with the Conference:
“Most civilians in the areas said to have been ‘barrel bombed’ left a very long time ago… Every attack on al Nusra is thus portrayed as an attack on ‘civilians’ and clinics, or on emergency health workers. Much the same applies to Medicin Sans Frontiers (MSF), which funds al Nusra clinics… in several terrorist held areas.”
“The photos of dead and injured women and children in the ghost towns inhabited by the armed groups are simply borrowed from other contexts…”
“The Syrian Army has been brutal with terrorists but, contrary to western propaganda, protective of civilians.”
The spectacle of a supporter of the Assad regime being feted at a conference ostensibly concerned with refugees, just metres from the graves of victims of that same regime, would seem to be something that could only take place in a particularly bad dream. Yet it is due to happen next month, with Tim Anderson speaking under the sponsorship of Stop the War and the People’s Assembly against Austerity, and with Tariq Ali also on the platform. Anderson’s supporters are already crowing at this recognition.
While two scheduled speakers have refused to take part in this absurd farce, repeated attempts by Syrian solidarity activists to persuade Stop the War to take a stand against it have met a stone wall.
The reputation of the British left, of peace activism and of refugee support movements, is being challenged here. Pause and reflect for a moment how Syrian refugees will feel on hearing of this event, of what it says about how much real understanding and concern there is in this country for their suffering and lived histories. Anyone with political understanding should appreciate how callous this act is; anyone with an ounce of moral conscience should feel compelled to speak out in protest to the conference organisers, sponsors, and speakers.
PRESS RELEASE: Who is attacking the Jo Cox Fund for supporting Syria’s rescue volunteers?
Tariq Ali repeats the smear against Syria Civil Defence and the Jo Cox Fund on Facebook.
Monday, 20 June 2016
Support Syrian civil society—the alternative both to Assad’s failed state and to the terror state of ISIS
A tribute to Jo Cox by the Syrian civil society organisation Women Now for Development.
Syrians and their supporters are mourning the loss of their bravest friend in UK politics. In our previous post we called on others to step forward and continue her work, and listed five ways to carry on the work of Jo Cox on Syria:
- Support Syria Civil Defence—the ‘White Helmets’
- Support Syrian civil society—the alternative to both Assad’s murderous failed state and the terror state of ISIS
- Break the sieges—call for UK humanitarian airdrops NOW
- Stop the bombs—call for UK action to end Assad’s mass murder: No-Bombing Zone NOW
- Safe passage for refugees—end the UK and EU’s hostile policies towards refugees NOW
There is more on how you can support Syria Civil Defence in that earlier post, including by supporting the Jo Cox Fund.
Syria Civil Defence are just one of very many civil society organisations to grow during Syria’s revolution against dictatorship. Local councils have been formed in communities across Syria, experimenting with democracy in a country that has suffered more than four decades of dictatorship under the Assads. These local councils, along with very many Syrian civil society organisations, are working to build a humane alternative both to the murderous failed state of Assad, and to the terror pseudo-state of ISIS.
“There’s a thriving civil society, against the odds. I mean, it’s amazing that there is still a civil society inside Syria.”
A lot of support for Syrian civil society comes from the Syrian diaspora. And international NGOs rely greatly on Syrian civil society organisations to deliver on the ground. Read this article focusing on Hand in Hand for Syria to get an idea. As well as established NGOs, British and Syrian doctors in the UK are supporting medics working under fire in Syria. London Fire Brigade support Syria Civil Defence with donations of equipment. But we believe there is much more UK civil society can do to support civil society in Syria.
One key area is education. We are working with NGOs who support and run schools inside Syria, schools that now have to use classrooms in basements because of the deliberate targeting of civilian areas by the Assad regime. These schools are looking to build contacts with schools in the UK. Their need is is not just for funds; it is a need for teachers working under the worst circumstances to have the support of their colleagues outside Syria; it is a need for children to see hope in contact with a world beyond the war.
Please get in touch with us—info@syriauk.org—if you would like to help make civil society links between the UK and Syria, on education, on local governance, health, emergency services, culture and more.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group co-chaired by Jo Cox, the APPG Friends of Syria, produced several issues of Syria Notes with information on Syrian civil society organisations and their work, including articles on the Syrian Network for Human Rights, on volunteering in refugee schools run by the Karam Foundation, on the Badael Foundation and their work with women peacemaking activists inside Syria, on the many local activists working to sustain life inside besieged areas, on the work done by the Syrian British Medical Society and Syria Relief to support services under attack by the Assad regime.
Also in back issues of Syria Notes, you’ll find extensive discussion by Syrian civil society activists at the close of February’s aid conference in London, an appeal from women activists under siege organised by Women Now for Development's centre in Daraya, a call for airdrops from UOSSM, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, and a detailed account of the rise of Syria’s local councils.
Find out more about how to support the causes Jo Cox believed in on our TAKE ACTION page.
Read our appreciation: Jo Cox, humanitarian.
More In Common: A Worldwide Celebration of Jo Cox
From the Facebook event page:
On Jo Cox’s birthday this Wednesday, show the world that we have far #moreincommon with each other than that which divides us.
Across the world, we will gather together to celebrate Jo’s life, her warmth, love, energy, passion, flair, Yorkshire heritage, and her belief in the humanity of every person in every place, from Batley and Spen to Aleppo and Darayya.
London: 4pm–5pm, Trafalgar Square
https://www.facebook.com/events/1369130213102106
Batley and Spen: 4pm–5pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1386263164723616
New York City: 11am–12pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/270194073341545
Washington DC: 11am–12pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/251132971921677
Brussels: 5pm–6pm, Ancienne Belgique
https://www.facebook.com/events/725140907588807
Nairobi: 6pm–7pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1732267390378672
Sunday, 19 June 2016
Honour her memory through action
Read our appreciation: Jo Cox, humanitarian.
Syrians and their supporters are mourning the loss of their bravest friend in UK politics. We need others to step forward and continue her work.
Here are five ways to carry on the work of Jo Cox on Syria:
- Support Syria Civil Defence—the ‘White Helmets’
- Support Syrian civil society—the alternative to both Assad’s murderous failed state and the terror state of ISIS
- Break the sieges—call for UK humanitarian airdrops NOW
- Stop the bombs—call for UK action to end Assad’s mass murder: No-Bombing Zone NOW
- Safe passage for refugees—end the UK and EU’s hostile policies towards refugees NOW
Syria Civil Defence: Also known as the ‘White Helmets,’ Syria Civil Defence are rescue volunteers working inside Syria. Unarmed and neutral, these heroes have saved more than 51,000 lives from under the rubble and brought hope for Syria’s future.
They are one of three causes being supported by the Jo Cox Fund. The other two worthy causes are The Royal Voluntary Service, to support volunteers helping combat loneliness in her constituency, Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, and HOPE not Hate, who seek to challenge and defeat the politics of hate and extremism within local communities across Britain.
Donate to the Jo Cox Fund here.
Read more about the White Helmets and their call for a No-Fly Zone in Syria.
Follow Syria Civil Defence on Twitter.
Sign a petition calling for the White Helmets to be awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
Find out more about how to support the causes Jo Cox believed in on our TAKE ACTION page.
More In Common: A Worldwide Celebration of Jo Cox
From the Facebook event page:
On Jo Cox’s birthday this Wednesday, show the world that we have far #moreincommon with each other than that which divides us.
Across the world, we will gather together to celebrate Jo’s life, her warmth, love, energy, passion, flair, Yorkshire heritage, and her belief in the humanity of every person in every place, from Batley and Spen to Aleppo and Darayya.
London: 4pm–5pm, Trafalgar Square
https://www.facebook.com/events/1369130213102106
Batley and Spen: 4pm–5pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1386263164723616
New York City: 11am–12pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/270194073341545
Washington DC: 11am–12pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/251132971921677
Brussels: 5pm–6pm, Ancienne Belgique
https://www.facebook.com/events/725140907588807
Nairobi: 6pm–7pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1732267390378672
Friday, 17 June 2016
Jo Cox, humanitarian.
Humanity lost a champion when Jo Cox was stolen from us. We are deeply saddened by the loss. We extend our most sincere condolences to Jo’s family and friends, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Syrian groups in Britain learned of her last year as a new MP prepared to speak up on Syria after two years of near-silence in the UK Parliament. Her view of the crisis was both moral and realistic, rigorous in seeking to understand what was happening, and clear in seeing what could and should be done.
The Syrian war is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is a crime against humanity. Jo Cox was not content to settle for helping the victims, she demanded action to end the crime.
Her focus was civilian protection: achieve that, and the rest follows; fail on that and no lasting good can come of our actions. She advocated action by the UK and allies to stop Assad’s deliberate bombing of civilian areas as the single greatest threat to civilians. She advocated humanitarian airdrops by the UK to besieged civilians to force an end to Assad’s deliberate use of starvation as a weapon.
Jo Cox abstained on the December 2015 vote on extending anti-ISIS airstrikes into Syria. She was deeply unhappy that the proposed intervention offered no relief to civilians. She refused to cast her vote either for isolationism or for a narrow counterterrorist policy that failed to deal with the ultimate cause of Syria’s horror, the Assad regime’s campaign of mass murder.
Britain’s failure to act in 2013 came in part because politicians allowed the massacres in Syria to become the subject of UK party politics. In all of her work on Syria, Labour MP Jo Cox reached out across party lines, working with Conservatives on the need to stop the bombing, and with Liberal Democrats on the need for action to break the sieges. In the last fortnight of her life she had the satisfaction of seeing MPs from across the House of Commons stand to speak in favour of humanitarian air drops.
Failure to act to protect civilians inside Syria has now become failure to protect civilians fleeing Syria. Victims of the murderous dictatorship are now used as a propaganda tool by the UK’s own inhumane far right. We have tolerated organised thuggery in Syria; now the thuggishness has entered our own politics.
Humanitarianism is caring for others, and through that we nurture our own humanity. British politics sacrificed its own humanity in its response to the Syria crisis. Jo Cox did her best to redeem it.
We will miss her deeply.
Batool Abdulkareem, Heba Ajami, Mark Boothroyd, Clara Connolly, Amr Salahi, Kellie Strom, Syria Solidarity UK
Yasmine Nahlawi, Rethink Rebuild Society
Dr Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, Syrian Association of Yorkshire
Dr Mohammad Tammo, Kurds House
Reem Assil, Syrian Platform for Peace
Rouba Mhaissen, SAWA for development and aid
Mazen Ejbaei, Help 4 Syria UK
Dr Amer Masri, Scotland4Syria
Dr Mohammad Alhadj Ali, Syrian Welsh Society
Dr Abdullah Hanoun, Syrian Community of the South West
Dr Fadel Moghrabi, Peace and Justice for Syria
Talal Al-Mayhani, Centre for Thought and Public Affairs
Amjad Selo, Syrian Society in Nottinghamshire
Jonathan Brown, Saleyha Ahsan, Ben Midgley, Liberal Democrats for Syrian Freedom, Peace & Reconstruction
Yara Bader, Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
Mazen Darwish, Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
Yara Tlass, Watanili
Rafif Jouejati, FREE-Syria
Moataz Aljbawi, Union of Syria Civil Society Organizations
Bassam al-Kuwlati, RMTeam
Violations Documentation Centre
Assaad al Achi, Baytna
Aref Alkrez
Alaa Basatneh
Majd Chourbaji, Basamat for Development
Salim Salamah, Palestinian League for Human Rights
Syria Civil Defence, ‘The White Helmets’
Emissa for Development
Majd Chourbaji, Basamat for development
Fadel Abdul Ghany, Syrian Network for Human Rights
Hozan Ibrahim, Citizens for Syria
Syrian groups in Britain learned of her last year as a new MP prepared to speak up on Syria after two years of near-silence in the UK Parliament. Her view of the crisis was both moral and realistic, rigorous in seeking to understand what was happening, and clear in seeing what could and should be done.
The Syrian war is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is a crime against humanity. Jo Cox was not content to settle for helping the victims, she demanded action to end the crime.
Her focus was civilian protection: achieve that, and the rest follows; fail on that and no lasting good can come of our actions. She advocated action by the UK and allies to stop Assad’s deliberate bombing of civilian areas as the single greatest threat to civilians. She advocated humanitarian airdrops by the UK to besieged civilians to force an end to Assad’s deliberate use of starvation as a weapon.
Jo Cox abstained on the December 2015 vote on extending anti-ISIS airstrikes into Syria. She was deeply unhappy that the proposed intervention offered no relief to civilians. She refused to cast her vote either for isolationism or for a narrow counterterrorist policy that failed to deal with the ultimate cause of Syria’s horror, the Assad regime’s campaign of mass murder.
Britain’s failure to act in 2013 came in part because politicians allowed the massacres in Syria to become the subject of UK party politics. In all of her work on Syria, Labour MP Jo Cox reached out across party lines, working with Conservatives on the need to stop the bombing, and with Liberal Democrats on the need for action to break the sieges. In the last fortnight of her life she had the satisfaction of seeing MPs from across the House of Commons stand to speak in favour of humanitarian air drops.
Failure to act to protect civilians inside Syria has now become failure to protect civilians fleeing Syria. Victims of the murderous dictatorship are now used as a propaganda tool by the UK’s own inhumane far right. We have tolerated organised thuggery in Syria; now the thuggishness has entered our own politics.
Humanitarianism is caring for others, and through that we nurture our own humanity. British politics sacrificed its own humanity in its response to the Syria crisis. Jo Cox did her best to redeem it.
We will miss her deeply.
Batool Abdulkareem, Heba Ajami, Mark Boothroyd, Clara Connolly, Amr Salahi, Kellie Strom, Syria Solidarity UK
Yasmine Nahlawi, Rethink Rebuild Society
Dr Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, Syrian Association of Yorkshire
Dr Mohammad Tammo, Kurds House
Reem Assil, Syrian Platform for Peace
Rouba Mhaissen, SAWA for development and aid
Mazen Ejbaei, Help 4 Syria UK
Dr Amer Masri, Scotland4Syria
Dr Mohammad Alhadj Ali, Syrian Welsh Society
Dr Abdullah Hanoun, Syrian Community of the South West
Dr Fadel Moghrabi, Peace and Justice for Syria
Talal Al-Mayhani, Centre for Thought and Public Affairs
Amjad Selo, Syrian Society in Nottinghamshire
Jonathan Brown, Saleyha Ahsan, Ben Midgley, Liberal Democrats for Syrian Freedom, Peace & Reconstruction
Yara Bader, Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
Mazen Darwish, Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
Yara Tlass, Watanili
Rafif Jouejati, FREE-Syria
Moataz Aljbawi, Union of Syria Civil Society Organizations
Bassam al-Kuwlati, RMTeam
Violations Documentation Centre
Assaad al Achi, Baytna
Aref Alkrez
Alaa Basatneh
Majd Chourbaji, Basamat for Development
Salim Salamah, Palestinian League for Human Rights
Syria Civil Defence, ‘The White Helmets’
Emissa for Development
Majd Chourbaji, Basamat for development
Fadel Abdul Ghany, Syrian Network for Human Rights
Hozan Ibrahim, Citizens for Syria
Thursday, 16 June 2016
Jo Cox
We are deeply shocked at the news of the death of Jo Cox.
Here is our earlier statement:
All of our thoughts and prayers are with Jo Cox and her family and friends today.
As a newly elected MP, Jo Cox has been making a remarkable and unique contribution to changing the understanding of Syria in British politics.
By reaching out to MPs and peers across parties, she has helped shift the issue of Syria away from partisan stalemate. Her strong advocacy of clear policy options focused on civilian protection has provided a humane and intelligent alternative to both the isolationist and the narrow counterterrorist tendencies in the UK’s policy debates on Syria.
The work is not yet finished. We know there is much more Jo wants to see done. We very much hope that we will continue to have her with us in the struggle for a free and peaceful Syria.
Here is our earlier statement:
All of our thoughts and prayers are with Jo Cox and her family and friends today.
As a newly elected MP, Jo Cox has been making a remarkable and unique contribution to changing the understanding of Syria in British politics.
By reaching out to MPs and peers across parties, she has helped shift the issue of Syria away from partisan stalemate. Her strong advocacy of clear policy options focused on civilian protection has provided a humane and intelligent alternative to both the isolationist and the narrow counterterrorist tendencies in the UK’s policy debates on Syria.
The work is not yet finished. We know there is much more Jo wants to see done. We very much hope that we will continue to have her with us in the struggle for a free and peaceful Syria.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Letter from MPs in Europe calling for urgent aid airdrops to Syrian civilians
As members of European Parliaments whose air forces are flying over Syria, we believe it is now time for our leaders to authorise urgent aid airdrops to the country’s trapped and starving civilians.
The denial of food as a weapon of war in Syria should have ended two months ago. Much needed food and medicine was expected to reach desperate communities within days of a partial ceasefire and an agreement that brutal starvation sieges would be lifted. Yet two months on many areas are still on the brink of starvation. Most have yet to see a single aid truck.
While all sides have used siege tactics, the government of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for denying access to food, water and medical care to over 90% of besieged areas.
In Daraya, a small town of 8,000 people on the outskirts of Damascus, the situation is desperate. Bashar alAssad’s snipers encircle the town, preventing people or food from entering or leaving.
The result is starvation. According to the UN, some have resorted to eating grass to survive and many residents are surviving on boiled water with spices. Malnutrition is rife, meaning many mothers cannot breastfeed and no baby milk is available.
Madaya, which became world news in January after many civilians starved to death, is still only occasionally accessible. Despite repeated pictures of skeletal children, aid access and medical evacuations have been denied.
These ongoing starvation sieges are a deep scar on the conscience of Europe. We know from the numbers of refugees fleeing to safety and the increasing threat from Isis what happens when we ignore the plight of civilians in Syria.
Lifting the sieges in Syria with sustained access and freedom of movement for civilians should always remain the priority for the international community. But the consistent lack of progress in this area cannot be a reason to continue sitting on our hands.
This month, the UN carried out its first successful airdrop into the city of Deir Ezzor, proving that there are options we could take to alleviate the worst of the hunger in Syria. If we can drop food to Deir Ezzor, we can drop it to places like Daraya and all besieged areas in Syria. Let's get this food and medicine to Syria’s civilians today, before more children die cruel, needless deaths.
Our countries, the UK, France, Netherlands and Germany are all flying in Syrian airspace as part of the antiIsis effort. If the UN lacks the ability to deliver aid, we have the capacity and presence to act. And high altitude airdrops would keep our brave pilots safe.
Airdropping aid is only ever a last resort, but there are dependable partners on the ground in these besieged areas ready to coordinate the distribution of aid.
Today, Russia controls the airspace over Syria, and as a cochair of the international Humanitarian Task Force that has demanded humanitarian access, should guarantee safe passage for these aid flights.
It is now time for our Governments to prioritise getting aid to starving Syrians. We can no longer wait for permission from the Bashar al-Assad regime that may never come.
Signatories
READ MORE:
European MPs urge governments to make airdrops to Syrian civilians, Ian Black, The Guardian.
The denial of food as a weapon of war in Syria should have ended two months ago. Much needed food and medicine was expected to reach desperate communities within days of a partial ceasefire and an agreement that brutal starvation sieges would be lifted. Yet two months on many areas are still on the brink of starvation. Most have yet to see a single aid truck.
While all sides have used siege tactics, the government of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for denying access to food, water and medical care to over 90% of besieged areas.
In Daraya, a small town of 8,000 people on the outskirts of Damascus, the situation is desperate. Bashar alAssad’s snipers encircle the town, preventing people or food from entering or leaving.
The result is starvation. According to the UN, some have resorted to eating grass to survive and many residents are surviving on boiled water with spices. Malnutrition is rife, meaning many mothers cannot breastfeed and no baby milk is available.
Madaya, which became world news in January after many civilians starved to death, is still only occasionally accessible. Despite repeated pictures of skeletal children, aid access and medical evacuations have been denied.
These ongoing starvation sieges are a deep scar on the conscience of Europe. We know from the numbers of refugees fleeing to safety and the increasing threat from Isis what happens when we ignore the plight of civilians in Syria.
Lifting the sieges in Syria with sustained access and freedom of movement for civilians should always remain the priority for the international community. But the consistent lack of progress in this area cannot be a reason to continue sitting on our hands.
This month, the UN carried out its first successful airdrop into the city of Deir Ezzor, proving that there are options we could take to alleviate the worst of the hunger in Syria. If we can drop food to Deir Ezzor, we can drop it to places like Daraya and all besieged areas in Syria. Let's get this food and medicine to Syria’s civilians today, before more children die cruel, needless deaths.
Our countries, the UK, France, Netherlands and Germany are all flying in Syrian airspace as part of the antiIsis effort. If the UN lacks the ability to deliver aid, we have the capacity and presence to act. And high altitude airdrops would keep our brave pilots safe.
Airdropping aid is only ever a last resort, but there are dependable partners on the ground in these besieged areas ready to coordinate the distribution of aid.
Today, Russia controls the airspace over Syria, and as a cochair of the international Humanitarian Task Force that has demanded humanitarian access, should guarantee safe passage for these aid flights.
It is now time for our Governments to prioritise getting aid to starving Syrians. We can no longer wait for permission from the Bashar al-Assad regime that may never come.
Signatories
- Marieluise Beck MP, The Greens, Germany
- José Bové MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance, France
- Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat, UK
- Franziska Brantner MP, The Greens, Germany
- Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Scottish National Party, UK
- JeanMichel Couve MP, Union for a Popular Movement, France
- Jo Cox MP, Labour, UK
- Karima Delli MEP, Europe Ecology/The Greens, France
- Stephen Doughty MP, Labour, UK
- Pascal Durand MEP, The Greens/European Free Alliance, France
- Eva Joly MEP, Europe Ecology/The Greens, France
- Roderich Kiesewetter MP, Christian Democratic Union, Germany
- Jason McCartney MP, Conservative, UK
- Greg Mulholland MP, Liberal Democrat, UK
- The Rt Hon the Baroness Lindsay Northover, Liberal Democrat, UK
- Christophe Premat MP, Socialist, France
- Michèle Rivasi MEP, Europe Ecology/The Greens, France
- Marietje Schaake MEP, Democrats '66, Netherlands
- Sjoerd Sjoerdsma MP, Democrats '66, Netherlands
- Alyn Smith MEP, Scottish National Party, UK
- The Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames MP, Conservative, UK
- Charles Tannock MEP, Conservative, UK
- Stephen Twigg MP, Labour, UK
READ MORE:
European MPs urge governments to make airdrops to Syrian civilians, Ian Black, The Guardian.
Saturday, 9 January 2016
Petition: Start aid drops to the starving people of Syria
A petition calling on the UK government to start aid drops has gathered thousands of signatures overnight. Please sign if you are a UK resident, and please share with your friends.
SIGN HERE
As Jo Cox told World at One news on Friday, “We have the experience, the capacity, the capability” to do this.
The little aid that the Assad regime is offering to let through is too little too late. To protect civilians we need to stop the regime using control of aid as a weapon.
Aid drops without the permission of the Assad regime are legal under UN Security Council Resolutions 2139, 2165, 2191, 2254, and 2258.
Thanks to Christopher Bridges for starting this petition.
Whilst the civil war in Syria continues and every effort is made militarily to bring it to an end as soon as possible the UK has an armed forces very capable in humanitarian missions.
People are starving to death in Douma, Idlib, Madaya and many other places. Let us be the ones to feed them.
SIGN HERE
As Jo Cox told World at One news on Friday, “We have the experience, the capacity, the capability” to do this.
The little aid that the Assad regime is offering to let through is too little too late. To protect civilians we need to stop the regime using control of aid as a weapon.
Aid drops without the permission of the Assad regime are legal under UN Security Council Resolutions 2139, 2165, 2191, 2254, and 2258.
Thanks to Christopher Bridges for starting this petition.
Friday, 8 January 2016
Support for RAF air drops to besieged Syrian civilians
UPDATE – Petition to Parliament: Start aid drops to the starving people of Syria.
Read more here.
Yesterday, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron backed the call for RAF air drops to besieged Syrian civilians in comments to the Guardian.
Jo Cox MP and Lord Ashdown have written to the Prime Minister calling for action.
PDF version.
David Cameron MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
7 January 2016
Dear Prime Minister,
The images and stories from besieged Madaya in Syria are truly shocking.
According to reports, in the past month alone 31 civilians have died in Madaya as a result of starvation or attempted escape, while the UN estimates that 400,000 remain besieged across the country.
We find it astonishing that so little has been done by the international community to break these sieges when life-saving medical and food aid are often only minutes away.
The UK played a critical role in negotiating several Security Council resolutions authorising UN agencies to deliver aid across conflict lines and break these sieges. To date, however, far too little has been done to challenge the Assad regime’s unacceptable veto over aid distribution to these areas. Though welcome, the agreement for aid to get into Madaya, reached by the UN on Thursday, may prove to be yet another empty gesture, and does not change the pattern of besiegement across Syria.
Even in Deir Ezzor, an area of 200,000 under siege by ISIS, it is the Syrian regime that is refusing the UN access to the airport which could be used to alleviate the suffering of the local population.
The Government rightly takes pride in being the second largest bilateral donor to the UN Syria appeal. But there is little point in contributing significant amounts of aid if we are not doing enough to make sure it reaches those who need it most.
We must also not allow international aid to become a political tool in the Syrian conflict. It is unacceptable that aid is being distributed in areas under regime control but we are allowing the regime to deny distribution to other areas.
Successive Security Council resolutions state: “United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners are authorised to use routes across conflict lines”, so why are they not exercising this authority?
We urge you to push the UN, in particular the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to be far bolder in its aid delivery and stop asking unnecessary permission from the Syrian government.
In the case that the UN continues to be denied access to these besieged areas by the Assad regime, the UK should strongly consider airdropping aid to those communities at risk of starvation. In some of these areas, the RAF is already flying anti-ISIS missions, and if necessary this is something we should press our European partners to support.
Like the airdrops by the US in 2014 to the Yazidis in Iraq, and the leadership shown by the last Conservative Government to save lives with similar action in Northern Iraq, there are immediate steps we can take to stop more vulnerable people dying needlessly of hunger. We cannot sit by and watch this happen.
Yours sincerely,
Jo Cox MP
Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Labouring on Syria: Hilary Benn’s response to Jo Cox
Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spens (formerly of Oxfam), has ignited Parliamentary debate in the run-up to a vote on Cameron’s proposal to extend the UK’s bombing campaign of ISIS to Syria. Her Observer article last Sunday, co-written with Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, and her speech in the adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Monday, have put the protection of Syrian civilians at the heart of Parliamentary debate for the first time ever. It is a bold and radical attempt to escape the sterility of Parliamentary and media discussion on the subject of Syria by introducing the voices and real concerns of Syrians. For that, I congratulate her from the bottom of my heart.
It has also provoked, in media-speak terms, the spectre of another revolt of Labour MPs against Jeremy Corbyn—as if the most important thing at stake here was the fate of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. For that reason, discussion amongst members of the Shadow Cabinet has led to Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn responding to Jo Cox’s initiative with an article for The Guardian.
That it is a response is illustrated by his opening paragraph which closely echoes that of the Cox/Mitchell article. There are significant differences however: both refer to the historic test facing us in response to the humanitarian disaster in Syria, but Cox’s starting point is the woeful inadequacy of the international community’s response “through the UN,” whereas Benn merely says “no one has taken responsibility.” This difference in phrasing is no accident, since Benn goes on to reiterate the Labour leadership’s position, expressed at Labour Party conference, of reliance on the UN Security Council. Jo Cox recognises, unlike Benn, that this has been a recipe for doing next to nothing.
Cox makes a radical departure from current Parliamentary debate, while Benn remains within the parameters set in the previous parliament. He says that the Government (with Labour support) was right to join the coalition’s air campaign against ISIS in Iraq; without considering the shortcomings of that campaign on the ground, he responds merely to Cameron’s proposal to extend it to Syria. Because he places the same priority on fighting ISIS as the Government, he is constrained by the discourse of the ‘War on Terror’, indiscriminately used by regional and world powers to pursue their own interests. Indeed, he seems to suggest that Russia is an ally in the war against ISIS, in contradiction to his own acknowledgement that Russia’s purpose, well attested by now, is to prop up the failing Assad regime. He refers only in passing to Assad’s barrel bombs, but concentrates mainly on the threat posed by ISIS.
Jo Cox on the other hand—because her starting point is the protection of civilians—states firmly that “it is not ethical to wish away the barrel bombs from the Syrian government when you have the capacity to stop them.” She points out in her Parliamentary speech that Assad kills seven times as many civilians as ISIS, and that a fight against ISIS has to be accompanied by an equal focus on Assad.
The solution she proposes is the creation of “safe havens inside Syria which would eventually offer sanctuary from both the actions of Assad and ISIS.” In an ITV interview, expanding on her article, she explicitly calls for a ‘no-bombing zone’ across Syria, which could be implemented by the UK or other Western powers within their current capacity from the Mediterranean sea.
Hilary Benn’s proposal is “a UN resolution for effective action to end the threat from ISIS.” He does not spell out who is at risk from ISIS—he commits the common mistake that Jo Cox avoids, of eliding a concern for “Syria’s people” with the West’s security concerns.
He moves beyond the War on Terror discourse when he argues for “safe zones in Syria to shelter those who have had to flee their homes,” effectively IDP camps inside Syria. Unlike Cox’s plan, that would not protect civilians in the cities towns and villages of the liberated areas who are suffering relentless bombardment on a daily basis. But it would provide some relief, as well as limiting the numbers of those fleeing beyond Syria’s borders.
But to accomplish it, he relies on a UNSC resolution. There have been several resolutions to constrain Assad’s attacks on his civilian population, and to enforce the provision of aid to besieged areas without the regimes permission, none of which have been enforced. The resolutions with teeth have been vetoed by Russia and China. That is why Jo Cox, despite her express support of the UN, goes beyond a reliance on it to propose unilateral or multilateral action as supported by international law.
Thirdly, Benn calls for “the referral of suspected war crimes to the ICC.” This is a token gesture towards the principle of international justice, without any reference to previous failed UN Security Council resolutions (due to Russia’s veto) or to Syria’s non-membership of ICC which makes a UNSC resolution the only avenue to the ICC. Unlike Cox, he resorts to proposing solutions which have been tried before and have failed. An empty threat will certainly not deter either Assad’s or Putin’s bombing of civilians.
Benn does make one acknowledgment of the limits of his proposals, saying “of course we know that any resolution may be vetoed and in those circumstances we would need to look at the position again.” This is a tentative proposal to go further than his position outlined at the Labour Conference, and is certainly an improvement on Miliband’s, which was simply to do nothing. If it does represent the position of the Shadow Cabinet it is a small but significant, and welcome, shift in Labours position.
But it remains an inadequate response to Jo Cox’s brave attempt to move the debate on Syria in a progressive, humanitarian direction. Her plan, unlike Benn’s, is a genuine challenge to Cameron. I sincerely hope that Labour and other MPs will follow her lead and encourage the Labour leadership to recognise the limitations of their focus on ISIS rather than Assad, and the lethal danger of their reliance on yet another drawn-out UN process while time is running out for Syrians.
LINKS
British forces could help achieve an ethical solution in Syria, by Andrew Mitchell and Jo Cox, The Observer, 11 October 2015.
What Diane Abbott gets wrong about Jo Cox’s proposals on Syria, by Alex Evans, Global Dashboard, 11 October 2015.
We must remember that Syria is not Iraq—and build a plan for action, by Jo Cox, Labour List, 12 October 2015.
“If we only focus on air strikes against ISIS we will fail to understand this conflict”, Jo Cox speaking on ITV News, 12 October 2015.
UK ‘should enforce Syria no-fly zone even if Russia vetoes UN resolution’, report by Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, 12 October 2015.
Speech by Jo Cox, 12 October House of Commons adjournment debate, Protection of civilians in Syria, video and transcript.
An ethical solution to the war in Syria: We support it, by Ashraf, Planet Syria, 12 October 2015.
Corbyn signals Labour could back military action in Syria without UN support, report by Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, 13 October 2015.
If we are to help Syria’s people, we must take action, by Hilary Benn, The Guardian, 13 October 2015.
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Assad is not capable of contributing to a united and democratic Syria
Image from Care about refugees? Listen to them: results of a survey of Syrian refugees.
By Mary Rizzo
Labour MP Jo Cox is to be commended for her efforts to build a comprehensive strategy for the Syrian war. For too long the Syrian people’s suffering has been ignored or dealt with in ways that do not lead to long-term resolution of this horrifying humanitarian nightmare.
However, in her three-pronged proposal is a flaw that I believe could be fatal. She has admitted that Assad is one part of the twin horror, and yet her strategy includes bringing him to the negotiating table.
Syrian civil society, which in spite of enormous difficulties and with seemingly the world against it, has maintained its presence on the ground and has established many autonomous governing areas as well as other structures for civil services. It has had to assume a political position since its own government declared war on the Syrian people, and during this time has become a political subject. It also has the enormous advantage of having gained its legitimacy on the ground.
Assad has no legitimacy, either by the popular electoral process, which everyone can plainly see was in no way democratic, or more importantly, by criteria of political legitimacy. Any legitimate authority that some may have been willing to concede to this regime has been completely lost according to the criteria of Max Weber where the use of illegitimate violence against one’s people is motive for the loss of legitimacy. It is furthermore inferred in the Preamble of the UN Declaration of Human Rights that rebellion against tyranny is legitimate.
It is clear that continuing to include the party responsible for the system of oppression that brought about the protests of the Syrian civilian population in the first place, responsible for the nearly five years of bloodshed that have followed, and responsible for the abysmal failure of every peace effort, is not the way to succeed.
Assad is not capable of contributing to a united and democratic Syria. He has invited other countries to fight on his behalf because he is under the impression that his power is destined to continue in some degree even if the war never ends. He has brought a global war to his country and has shown no ability to protect his country’s assets or population. To continue with the belief that he has to be negotiated with is only going to prolong the war.
There quite simply is no viable political solution that includes the existence of the current regime in Syria to dictate terms or to take part in a solution. Such existence would not allow the masses, who have been mobilised for years now to bring about a free and democratic Syria based on social justice, to reach their objective. Any proposal aimed at a long-term solution should realise that a post-Assad period is a certainty. Placing any kind of trust in the regime and granting it negotiation powers, when it has never shown any interest in a compromise or shared solution, is a mistake. The natural interlocutors are the representatives of civil society who are willing, and indeed able, to come to assume the task of leading the diplomatic programme crucial to resolution on a long-term basis.
It would be merely prolonging the suffering and desperation of the Syrian people to continue to insist that someone already defined as one of their horrors is considered as a valid negotiating partner. To appear to consider this person and his regime as legitimate could also mean difficulty in post-Assad relations.
Please do not lose a historic occasion to truly end the war, stop the bloodshed, and contribute to a more prosperous Levant that sees the West as its ally, not an accomplice in its destruction and enslavement.
LINKS
Five Reasons Why Including Assad in a ‘Managed Transition’ Will Fail, by Dr Neil Quilliam, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House.
Care about refugees? Listen to them: The Syria Campaign on an opinion survey amongst Syrian refugees in Germany, 9 October 2015.
This survey interviewed 889 Syrians living in Germany between 24 September 2015 and 2 October 2015 using a standardised questionnaire. Interviews were held in 12 centres housing arriving refugees, other refugee accommodation and refugee registration points in Berlin, Hanover, Bremen, Leipzig and Eisenhüttenstadt. Researchers from the Berlin Social Science Center were involved in the conception, implementation and evaluation of the survey.
British forces could help achieve an ethical solution in Syria, by Andrew Mitchell and Jo Cox, The Observer, 11 October 2015.
What Diane Abbott gets wrong about Jo Cox’s proposals on Syria, by Alex Evans, Global Dashboard, 11 October 2015.
We must remember that Syria is not Iraq—and build a plan for action, by Jo Cox, Labour List, 12 October 2015.
“If we only focus on air strikes against ISIS we will fail to understand this conflict”, Jo Cox speaking on ITV News, 12 October 2015.
UK ‘should enforce Syria no-fly zone even if Russia vetoes UN resolution’, report by Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, 12 October 2015.
Speech by Jo Cox, 12 October House of Commons adjournment debate, Protection of civilians in Syria, video and transcript.
An ethical solution to the war in Syria: We support it, by Ashraf, Planet Syria, 12 October 2015.
Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Planet Syria at the House of Commons
On Tuesday of last week, Planet Syria activists spoke at an event at the House of Commons. Titled Planet Syria: The view from Syria’s non-violent civil society activists, the event was hosted by Gisela Stuart MP and organised with the help of Syria Solidarity UK. Speaking on behalf of Planet Syria were Assaad Al-Achi of Baytna Syria, and Mustafa Haid of Dawlaty.
Planet Syria is a coalition of 107 nonviolent civil society groups caught between the Syrian government and ISIS that are struggling for a democratic, just and pluralistic society. These groups believe deeply in human rights and in the necessity of protecting civilian life in Syria. Planet Syria represents Syria’s largest civil society grouping and its peace movement. This movement is based on consultations with nonviolent activists from across Syria on what they think are ways to resolve this conflict.
Planet Syria aims to end the violence in Syria by seeking international support to end the aerial attacks and killings carried out by the Syrian Government, and to bring about inclusive, internationally backed peace talks. The Planet Syria statement says, “we need the barrel bombs to stop—even if it takes a ‘no-fly zone’—and meaningful peace talks. They need to happen together.”
Read the complete Planet Syria statement at planetsyria.org.
Baytna Syria is a leading institution fostering the Syrian civil society movement. It promotes an inclusive and democratic future for all Syrians, thus laying the foundation for long term stability across the country. It was founded with help from the Danish government. Through the Danish Syria Programme, which main focus is on stabilisation, Denmark provides substantial support to the Baytna Civil Society Centre in Gaziantep. Besides from its role as a civil society hub in Gaziantep, Baytna conducts capacity building activities and runs a small-grants mechanism providing support to a broad range of civil society initiatives inside Syria.
Read more at baytnasyria.org.
The Dawlaty Foundation, a Syrian nonprofit foundation that works with nonviolent activists on capacity building, democratic transition and transitional justice in Syria. They produce print and audiovisual materials on these topics (including comics!) and hold training courses and conferences.
Read more at dawlaty.org.
As the UK government considers extending anti-ISIS strikes into Syria, this event was a valuable chance for MPs and peers to hear from civil society activists on the front line of the fight against extremism. Their message was clear: A narrow targeting of ISIS without also addressing the greater violence being unleashed by the Assad regime is not the way to defeat extremism in Syria. Civilian protection against air attacks in particular is essential, not just to save lives but also to allow the strengthening of civil society and thereby help the population to resist extremist forces.
Planet Syria’s view on UK Syria policy (PDF)
Daniel Adamson, guest editor of the current issue of New Internationalist focusing on Syrian civil society activists was also at the event. He picked out one story from the issue, that of Dr Majed Abu Ali, one of the volunteer medics who treated victims of the 2013 Ghouta chemical weapons massacre. Forced eventually to leave Syria to keep his young family safe, Majed’s story illustrated how the refugee crisis, driven mostly by the violence of the Assad regime, is a tragedy not just for those who flee, but also for the fractured and depleted society they leave behind.
Syria’s good guys: New Internationalist, September 2015, Issue 485.
Also present at the event was Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former soldier who advises UK based charity Syria Relief on treating the victims of chemical weapons attacks. As well as talking about the impact of Assad’s air attacks on hospitals–every bombed hospital in Syria was bombed by Assad’s forces—he also gave his thoughts on the practicalities of enforcing an end to barrel bombing. He explained that this was much easier to do than generally realised, and that Assad’s helicopters could be prevented from bombing by naval weapons systems with no need to target what remains of Assad’s air defences.
We’re missing the point about Syrian refugees, by Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.
Amongst the MPs and peers listening to the Syrian visitors and asking questions was Jo Cox MP. She has since written a clear argument for doing more: Syria is not Iraq—we must take action now. In her article she takes a clear view that both ISIS and the refugee crisis are consequences of inaction, and that we need to deal with cause as well as effects. She writes:
Two years ago, a Government motion on Syria was defeated in the House of Commons. Tabled in the wake of a chemical weapons attack that outraged the world, the motion sought to condemn the attack and give, in principle, support for airstrikes against the Assad regime that had wrought it.Read the rest.
Since that vote, badly handled on both sides of the House of Commons, British policy on Syria has wandered aimlessly, a deadly mix of timidity and confusion. The lack of a coherent response, not just by Britain but by the wider international community, has allowed the situation in Syria to fester into the greatest humanitarian crisis of our lifetime. The international community put Syria on the “too difficult to deal with” pile and we now see the consequences of that – from the creation of ISIS to a new refugee surge.
The first step in formulating a workable strategy on Syria is to listen to Syrians. Our thanks to Gisela Stuart MP for hosting this event, and to all those who came to hear what Syrians have to say.
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