Saturday morning 26/5/2012 I woke up and turned the TV on. On Al-Arabiya channel (one of the two biggest news broadcasting channels in the Arab world) the anchorman was reading the news and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Nearly 108 people killed in a massacre in Al Houla , among them there were 30 kids that were killed with knifes and apparently were held in some sort of small house and then executed.
Even though the Syrian regime has done some insane things throughout the past 15 months or so since the revolution started, this has got to be one of the most disgusting thing they've done, slaughtering kids in the same room in front of each other .... goddamn.

A friend of mine made a tribute video :'(

It's crazy, I hope US will judge those serial killers. My Condolence for the victims and their family.

Written by TOUGHEST MEMBER on 31.05.2012 at 00:12

It's crazy, I hope US will judge those serial killers. My Condolence for the victims and their family.

you mean the UN ?
The UN Observers were there the next day and documented everything, but Assad's forces don't give a crap about anything, as long as they have Iran and Russia backing them up strategically and politically they'll not back down at all

The excerpts of these videos of the massacre in Al Houla have been widely broadcasted on almost all info channels (France included) for days now and they show us a new and horrendous dimension of the conflict that is tearing your country apart.

These images of kids killed are disgusting and unbearable to say the least. But they are also a way to make people in Europe and the US feel uncomfortable and therefore massively react. I'm not saying that public opinions are gonna make the situation change just because they're upset by what they see but at least it can lead their governments to take action despite the lack of entente among the UN Security Council (for the same obvious issues of national sovereignty and human rights). I'm not saying that the USA or some other country should take military action unilateraly but considering the massive reaction of the international community things are probably gonna change in the coming weeks. Let's hope that the population will not be the one to suffer the most if a military intervention is decided.

I humbly but sincerely sympathize with all the families of these innocent victims.

Written by Bad English on 31.05.2012 at 00:34

UN tried - Russia and China say NOOOO and use VETO wrights, Rus probobly has own interests elegal gun shiupments and so on
IMO UN shood attack, buta gan whole Balkans and Russians will say USA poor USA like Lybia case , fuck usa, france bla bla
Peace talks dont work this way , militar attack shood be done , innocente civilans die, Assad has chances stop it he wasted it, now UN shood act , but UN is way to week,
IMO Rus or China shood lost veto wrights

Libya had oil, that's everything you need to know about. While I'm against a foreign military intervention, some acts should be taken, be it the support of the FSA or an international pressure group to convince Russia to let go of this regime

Written by Urs Blank on 31.05.2012 at 00:55

The excerpts of these videos of the massacre in Al Houla have been widely broadcasted on almost all info channels (France included) for days now and they show us a new and horrendous dimension of the conflict that is tearing your country apart.

These images of kids killed are disgusting and unbearable to say the least. But they are also a way to make people in Europe and the US feel uncomfortable and therefore massively react. I'm not saying that public opinions are gonna make the situation change just because they're upset by what they see but at least it can lead their governments to take action despite the lack of entente among the UN Security Council (for the same obvious issues of national sovereignty and human rights). I'm not saying that the USA or some other country should take military action unilateraly but considering the massive reaction of the international community things are probably gonna change in the coming weeks. Let's hope that the population will not be the one to suffer the most if a military intervention is decided.

I humbly but sincerely sympathize with all the families of these innocent victims.

It's definitely going to change in the coming few weeks, already political actions have been made and things seem to be heading towards a more serious direction. Annan's plan has clearly failed (but to be fair aside from this awful massacre things kinda got better with the UN observers around) and so the international community has to make some actions.
Again, a military intervention is something I (amongst many Syrians) refuse but if things are going to remain the same then let it be

Written by InnerSelf on 31.05.2012 at 01:08

Again, a military intervention is something I (amongst many Syrians) refuse but if things are going to remain the same then let it be

It's more than understandable considering that the current government would take advantage of such an intervention to act as a victim of a military intrusion and therefore allow himself to commit many more massacre in the name of sovereignty and patriotism. However everyday I'm also less and less confident in a diplomatic answer to the conflict

Written by Bad English on 31.05.2012 at 02:01
Well I think UN shood attack

This would never happen as the UN only has a peacekeeping force and not an army.

Written by Bad English on 31.05.2012 at 02:11
But what it calls what thay plan to do in ewnglish before Rus and China reject , well I heard if Syria attack to Turkey , Turkey will use ''attack to one contry is attack to all'' rule in NATO and ask NATO help

Whatever you're trying to say seems interesting enough for me to want to respond to, but I honestly don't understand this post.

Written by Urs Blank on 31.05.2012 at 01:23

It's more than understandable considering that the current government would take advantage of such an intervention to act as a victim of a military intrusion and therefore allow himself to commit many more massacre in the name of sovereignty and patriotism. However everyday I'm also less and less confident in a diplomatic answer to the conflict

That and the fact that those military attacks left 50000 people dead in Libya (of course a large number of that was due to the war but there are some documented cases were the air strikes actually caused civilian casualties). As for the diplomatic solution, it was clear for us here that this regime is not the kind that gives concessions, it's one of the worst dictator empires in modern ages.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 31.05.2012 at 02:13

Written by Bad English on 31.05.2012 at 02:11
But what it calls what thay plan to do in ewnglish before Rus and China reject , well I heard if Syria attack to Turkey , Turkey will use ''attack to one contry is attack to all'' rule in NATO and ask NATO help

Whatever you're trying to say seems interesting enough for me to want to respond to, but I honestly don't understand this post.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 31.05.2012 at 02:13

Written by Bad English on 31.05.2012 at 02:11
But what it calls what thay plan to do in ewnglish before Rus and China reject , well I heard if Syria attack to Turkey , Turkey will use ''attack to one contry is attack to all'' rule in NATO and ask NATO help

Whatever you're trying to say seems interesting enough for me to want to respond to, but I honestly don't understand this post.

I understand what he's saying, I'll try to word it properly:
NATO countries have a common defense treaty; any attack against a member state would be considered and attak against the whole NATO. Turkey is a member of NATO and there have been some insurgence by the Syrian Army into Turkish lands. If this happens again, NATO would have a legal justification to invade Syria.

Thanks for starting this thread.

Written by [user id=28526] on 31.05.2012 at 20:57

Thanks for starting this thread.

It's about time

Frankly, the only solution that wouldnt involve (much) bloodshed is a meteor falling on the presidential palace.

Written by [user id=114127] on 31.05.2012 at 21:51

Frankly, the only solution that wouldnt involve (much) bloodshed is a meteor falling on the presidential palace.

This is sad but true, and while everything is really depressing and hopeless there's one ray of light, the two big cities Aleppo (my city) and Damascus (the capital) have witnessed some really important changes, the most important ones are : larger protests and really effective economical strikes

Written by [user id=114127] on 31.05.2012 at 21:51

Frankly, the only solution that wouldnt involve (much) bloodshed is a meteor falling on the presidential palace.

Though shit could turn into a civil war, religious extremists again western world friends, personnal interest, such stuff. Africa in Middle-East, not sure it'd be a good idea.

Written by [user id=109376] on 01.06.2012 at 15:56

shit could turn into a civil war

This is what everybody fears most, and it seems inevitable that after the conclusion of this conflict, either way, there would be massacres involving the Alawite minority to which the ruling families belong. If the revolution is thwarted, the Alawites would continue killing as they please for a while, and now one will dare oppose them. If the regime falls, the Sunnis would not let massacres like Al Houla's (among many more, what you're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg ) pass. Either way, we would see sectarian cleansing... That's the worst case scenario, but it doesnt seem unlikely.

This is one of the grimmest situations our generation have ever seen.

Is it the rebels or the army forces that commited those awfull crimes? Situation doesn't seem very clear.

Written by Edmund Fogg on 01.06.2012 at 20:02

Is it the rebels or the army forces that commited those awfull crimes? Situation doesn't seem very clear.

Army forces or Alawite gangs. Pro-regime.

Written by Edmund Fogg on 01.06.2012 at 20:02

Is it the rebels or the army forces that commited those awfull crimes? Situation doesn't seem very clear.

The targeted city Al Houla is a city that never stopped protesting since the beginning of the revolution and according to the UN observers the city was under fire before the massacre happened. Also the city is of a Sunni majority

It seems now from a hindsight point of view, most Egyptian motivation was mostly economic and anti-government corruption, and not towards a secular-democratic government.
I understand the dissidents want Assad out (if not on an end of a rope), but what are the Syrians protesting for?

Hafez Al-Assad became president in 1970 and since then he slowly built a godlike image of himself (just like every dictator does), he swiped out all the remaining opposition in 1982 when the military forces destroyed 80% of Hama and committed awful massacres in Hama and Aleppo .... so since then the county was his
in the year 2000 just before he died he brought back Bashar (who was studying in England) and introduced him to the public and when he finally died Bashar was named president and continued the legacy of his father.
No freedom of speech, bad economy, bad education ... Syria became more of a big prison rather than a country

Written by InnerSelf on 02.06.2012 at 15:00

Hafez Al-Assad became president in 1970 and since then he slowly built a godlike image of himself (just like every dictator does), he swiped out all the remaining opposition in 1982 when the military forces destroyed 80% of Hama and committed awful massacres in Hama and Aleppo .... so since then the county was his
in the year 2000 just before he died he brought back Bashar (who was studying in England) and introduced him to the public and when he finally died Bashar was named president and continued the legacy of his father.
No freedom of speech, bad economy, bad education ... Syria became more of a big prison rather than a country

That sums it up nicely. Though I heard similar talk before regarding the Egyptian civil uprising, I'm not sure. What can I say? I wish you the best of luck.

Don't think Egypt is in the same situation as they recently had a massive protest against what I think was their former leader not being executed. The veteran police were forced inactive, so people assume that the old regime as i read still has influence. But they guy was sentenced to life imprisonment. Btw, he ok'd the murder of protesters prior to the end of his regime. That's what I read this morning.

Well unfortunately the دیکتاتوری کبیر (big dictator of middle-east) is supporting the دیکتاتوری صغیر (second dictator of middle-east)... And as long as this support is going on, I personally have no hope for Syrian freedom fighters to overcome Assad!! They will bring him forces and bullets!!
From the beginning of the rallies about a year and half ago, I've been always following the news, and I always envied how Syrian people are protesting and standing although there is a bloodshed everyday and night...
Iranian people retreated after some were killed and some were prisoned.. But Syrians stood for what they wanted and still they're standing... I hope you will have free country...
On the other side, falling of Assad is a very positive point, meaning Iran is now completely isolated in the region.. Assad is the only supporter of Iran. And of course Iran is supporting him in this shit too.. And again here comes Russia! The leech which suck dictatorships before they fall..

Written by Hamird on 05.06.2012 at 11:45

Well unfortunately the دیکتاتوری کبیر (big dictator of middle-east) is supporting the دیکتاتوری صغیر (second dictator of middle-east)... And as long as this support is going on, I personally have no hope for Syrian freedom fighters to overcome Assad!! They will bring him forces and bullets!!
From the beginning of the rallies about a year and half ago, I've been always following the news, and I always envied how Syrian people are protesting and standing although there is a bloodshed everyday and night...
Iranian people retreated after some were killed and some were prisoned.. But Syrians stood for what they wanted and still they're standing... I hope you will have free country...
On the other side, falling of Assad is a very positive point, meaning Iran is now completely isolated in the region.. Assad is the only supporter of Iran. And of course Iran is supporting him in this shit too.. And again here comes Russia! The leech which suck dictatorships before they fall..

hahaha got a pretty hard laugh from the small dictator/big dictator thing
I also was very exited about you're uprising, but Najad really knew how to "deal" with it, and the world watched silently as he swiped all of his opposition putting them either in prison or in a grave !
And while we are getting closer to our freedom, I really hope you reach yours in a less bloody and violent way

Written by InnerSelf on 06.06.2012 at 14:16

hahaha got a pretty hard laugh from the small dictator/big dictator thing
I also was very exited about you're uprising, but Najad really knew how to "deal" with it, and the world watched silently as he swiped all of his opposition putting them either in prison or in a grave !
And while we are getting closer to our freedom, I really hope you reach yours in a less bloody and violent way

I doubt about yer last statement, IR will kill more than Gaddafi and Assad when it's the time.. The two years ago demonstration was a surprise for IR but not a real threat.. If a serious fight will be on like the one in Syria, IR will nuke us !! Anyway for now, we're totally hopeless, but again Syria has an important role in isolation of IR.. I hope Assad will be taken down soon!

Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18405800

"children were being tortured in detention and slaughtered in massacres."