White Helmets

The president's remarks come amid the ongoing evacuation of hundreds of members of the controversial group, which Damascus considers to be a media arm of al-Qaeda in Syria.

26.07.2018 - Assad: White Helmets Who Refuse to Lay Down Arms To Be Liquidated as Terrorists
Assad: White Helmets Who Refuse to Lay Down Arms to Be Liquidated as Terrorists

Speaking to Russian media on Thursday, Bashar Assad reiterated his position that the White Helmets were not a rescue group, but rather a "mask" for Nusra Front* militants. Assad said that the leaders of the group had likely already fled Syria, with the remainder staying behind under the guise of civilians and hiding in militant-controlled Idlib, which he said was home to "tens of thousands of terrorists."

"They have fled Syria, but really did not flee — they were evacuated by Israel, Jordan and the Western powers," Assad said.

According to the president, any White Helmets who refuse amnesty will be liquidated. "The fate of the White Helmets will be the same as that of any terrorist. They have two paths: either lay down their arms and take advantage of amnesty … or be liquidated, like other terrorists," he said.

Commenting on the Syrian military's priorities, Assad called the liberation of Idlib province one of the main objectives, but not the only one. "Today Idlib is our goal, but not only Idlib. Today, of course, there are territories in the eastern part of Syria which are controlled by various groups. Some are held by Daesh* (these are small pockets) as well as Nusra Front, and other extremist formations. Therefore, we will be moving to all these regions. The military, and it is up to their discretion, will determine the priorities, and Idlib is one of them," Assad said.

Also on Thursday, Assad compared the current situation in his country to the Great Patriotic War (the Soviet-Nazi conflict during World War II). Surrounded by relatives of Russian servicemen who died fighting jihadists in Syria, the Syrian leader said the barbarous actions of the Nazis were comparable to those of today's terrorists. "In school, you've read about the Great Patriotic War. In Syria today we are experiencing something similar. When the Nazis attacked [the Soviet Union] they began killing Russians simply because they did not like them, and the Russian heroes were defending not only the Russian people, but the whole world." Now, Assad said, "both Russian and Syrian heroes are doing the same thing."

Appealing to Syrians abroad who fled the country during the war, Assad said that he would like to see "every Syrian return,"
particularly those who had their own business, which would help in the restoration of the economy. The president admitted that accommodating returnees wouldn't be an easy task, given the destruction of housing and infrastructure caused by the war.

Russia, Assad said, is a great power, and has a duty to restore a geopolitical equilibrium in world affairs. Part of this responsibility is "a political and military presence in various regions, if this is necessary," he noted.


26.07.2018 - US, Israel Want White Helmets Out of Syria to Prevent Exposure - Ex-CIA Officer
US, Israel Want White Helmets Out of Syria to Prevent Exposure – Ex-CIA Officer

As the Syrian Arab Army is intensifying its southern advance, the situation is heating up. Speaking to Sputnik, analysts explained what could be behind the controversial evacuation of the White Helmets from Syria to Jordan by the Israeli military at the request of Washington.

Under the guise of the White Helmets evacuation, Western powers were apparently seeking to cover their tracks and pull their valuable assets out of Syria, says Ghassan Kadi, a political analyst of Syrian origin.

"The enemies of Syria got into the country under many different banners and guises, and the White Helmets is only one of many," Kadi told Sputnik. "That said, the so-called White Helmets were known to be mainly in Syria's north, previously in Aleppo and recently in the Idlib region. So how did they allegedly end up in the South without a deal that facilitated their transport to that area? Such a deal would have required the consent of the Syrian government, but there is no such deal."

The political analyst presumed that "given the 'good name' the Western media gave the White Helmets as the alleged defenders of the 'victims of the regime,' the name White Helmets is probably now been used as a cover for every important asset that the enemies of Syria want to help leave Syria under the guise of helping the 'heroes.'"

Most probably, those assets include Western, Israeli, Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) military operatives and advisors and there is no better face-saving manner that would facilitate their exit other than branding them as White Helmets," Kadi suggested.

"And let us not forget that the white helmets themselves are not stitched on the heads of their bearer," he added. "Anyone can wear a white helmet and become a White Helmet, just like former terrorists which left Syria into Turkey and then entered the EU as refugees."

On July 22, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he had authorized the evacuation of White Helmets volunteers at the request of US President Donald Trump and other Western leaders. The organization, largely hailed in the West, has been repeatedly spotted engaging in false flag operations in terrorist-held regions in Syria.

'Specially Trained Operatives'

Christopher Assad, a Canada-based political observer and writer of Syrian origin, echoes Kadi's concerns.

He presumed that among the evacuees could be "specially trained operatives." According to Assad, "this is the only reason they are being rescued instead of the hundreds of civilians stuck in the middle of military operations in southern Syria, whom these people were supposed to help."

As a Syrian, I deplore the propaganda role assigned to these terrorists by their Israeli, Arab and Western handlers," Assad stressed.

The political observer pointed out that Syria has had its own national branch of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent society since 1954.

He stressed that Damascus had also established the institution of Civil Defense in 1953, which is "64 years before the so-called White Helmets suddenly appeared in order to fake chemical weapons attacks for the benefit of Western audiences and to garner pity for al-Nusra Front* terrorists with Western public opinion."

According to Assad, the West's concerns over the evacuation of the NGO are quite understandable given previous reports about French, Belgian, German, Canadian, Israeli, British, Dutch and American operatives among rebels in Syria.

"In order to avoid the blame game on why they have lost the war in Syria, the US, Canada and the UK instructed Israel to help, via the Western intelligence hub in Amman, so that the rapprochement between all Western partners in the war on Syria can remain intact as no party wishes discord between these partners in crime," the political observer opined.

'The White Helmets Evacuation by Israel was Predictable'

"The White Helmets evacuation by Israel was predictable as the group has been working together with Israel, the US and also various terrorist groups," Philip Giraldi, a former CIA case officer and US Army intelligence officer, emphasized. "They have never worked in areas where the Syrian [Arab] Army has had control and are little more than terrorist apologists."

According to the CIA veteran, "the US and Israel want to get the White Helmets out of the country so they cannot be questioned by journalists and the Syrian government, which would reveal their affiliation with the terrorist groups and also the Israeli and US military."

"They are afraid that the Syrian Army will arrest them on sight, with good reason as they are an affiliate of the terrorists," Giraldi underscored.

'Evacuation of White Helmets Prevented Potential Bloodshed'

For his part, Israeli political analyst and publicist Avigdor Eskin opined that Israel's actions at the request of the US, Canada and the EU had prevented a potential bloodshed by allowing the White Helmets to flee the theater of war.

He cited previous cases, including the liberation of Aleppo, when Syrian rebels of various affiliations were allowed to leave embattled areas to pave the way for reconciliation.

"Four hundred White Helmets and their family members were allowed to enter Israel and to continue to Jordan," Eskin said, suggesting that the move had contributed to the peaceful settlement in the war-torn country.

The Israeli analyst opined that all efforts aimed at preventing violence should be hailed, especially given the fact that the seven-year war has claimed the lives of more than 500,000 Syrians.

According to Jordan's Foreign Ministry, 422 out of 800 White Helmets volunteers and their family members have been evacuated by the Israeli military.
 
Some conflicting reports this morning, as to the U.N.'s role in helping Israel extract the White Helmet's from Syria?

2018-07-24 - UN denies taking part in White Helmets evacuation through Israel
UN denies taking part in White Helmets evacuation through Israel

The United Nations has played no role in the evacuation of more than 420 White Helmet activists from Syria, official spokesman for the organization’s general secretary, Stefane Dujarrik, told reporters on Monday.

“We have nothing to do with this process of moving out [the White Helmets],” Dujarrik said.

My impression - the UN tried to distance itself - from taking part in the evacuation of the White Helmets by Israel - when sharp criticism surfaced that the White Helmets were "terrorist"! Now a report has surfaced expressing, " UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sent a letter to the UN member states expressing his concern over the "troubling" financial situation of the organization and urged for the countries to pay their mandatory contributions promptly" due to the White Helmets publicly asking the UN, "to help save their remaining members that are trapped in southwest Syria".


27.07.2018 - UN at risk of Funding Shortages, Urges Members to Contribute Promptly - Guterres
UN at Risk of Funding Shortages, Urges Members to Contribute Promptly - Guterres

Caused primarily by the delayed contributions of Member States to the Regular Budget, this new cash shortfall is unlike those we have experienced previously… Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer," the UN press service quoted the secretary-general as saying.

According to the UN, there were 81 states who had not yet paid their contributions this month.


2018-07-27 - White Helmets call on UN to save members trapped in southwest Syria
White Helmets call on UN to save members trapped in southwest Syria

A senior official from the “White Helmets” (var. Syrian Civil Defense) organization called on the United Nations and the international community to help save their remaining members that are trapped in southwest Syria, the Reuters News Agency reported this morning.

One of the founding members of the White Helmets, Majd Khalaf, said that many of their personnel are still trapped in southwest Syria, adding that they need to be evacuated to Idlib in order to evade potential capture by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian Reconciliation Center.

“We want the U.N. or any international agency to remove the White Helmet volunteers from Deraa to [rebel-held] Idlib so we can continue to work in the north of Syria” Khalaf stated, as quoted by the Reuters News Agency.

“It is so hard when White Helmets have to leave people behind – and they also have to start their lives over,” he added.

Last week, the Israeli Defense FOrces (IDF) carried out a special operation to evacuate at least 422 members of the White Helmets that were trapped along the border of the occupied Golan Heights region.

The 422 members of the White Helmets were later transported to Jordan by the Israeli authorities.


2018-07-27 - Syrian Army says White Helmets base uncovered in northwest Daraa
Syrian Army says White Helmets base uncovered in northwest Daraa

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) announced on Friday that their troops had uncovered a White Helmets base in the northwestern countryside of the Daraa Governorate.

According to a statement from the Syrian authorities, the SAA uncovered a White Helmets base in the town of Sahm Joulan, which was recently held by the Islamic State (ISIS) and previously by the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The statement said that the White Helmets base contained IEDs and artillery shells inside, adding that they would release a video shortly.

A military source in the Daraa Governorate told Al-Masdar that this White Helmets base could have been turned into a weapons storage by the Islamic State after they took over Sahm Joulan.

No further details have been released at this time.
 
Last edited:
The Syrian authorities have released the first photos from the White Helmets base that was uncovered by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in southwest Syria this morning.

2018-07-27 - Syrian authorities release first photos from White Helmets base in southwest Syria
Syrian authorities release first photos from White Helmets base in southwest Syria

According to a report from the Syrian Arab Army, the White Helmets base was uncovered inside the town of Sahm Joulan, which is located in the Yarmouk Basin region.

As shown in the photos released by the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the White Helmets base had a variety of explosives inside of it:

It is still not entirely clear why these weapons were stored inside of this White Helmets base; however, a local source told Al-Masdar that the explosives could have been stored in the base after the Islamic State (ISIS) took over the town.

Recently, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told Russian reporters that the White Helmets have two choices: surrender and reconcile with the government in southwest Syria or face potential death.

37844322_219894092201330_454510687851380736_o.jpg
Photo credit: SANA
37844392_219894075534665_9160744228198809600_o.jpg
Photo credit: SANA
37938246_219894098867996_1238122007808180224_n.jpg
Photo credit: SANA
 
White Helmets operatives training “recruits”, rehearsal stage fires and fake lifesaving …and how to pose in photographs and videos later distributed by pro-NATO press agencies as if were ‘real rescue’ imagery or footage.

29 July 2018 - New Fake ‘Rescue’ Scenes by White Helmets in Western Media Narrative on Syria. Stage & Training Scenes Published as ‘Real Action’
https://www.globalresearch.ca/new-f...ining-scenes-published-as-real-action/5649106

Google News indexed yesterday (July 28, 2018) a news report about the White Helmets rescued by Israel, and published in YnetNews. This publication is, according to Wikipedia, the “English-language Israeli news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most-read newspaper, and the Hebrew news portal, Ynet. So I understand it’s a main source used by Western mainstream media, and of course by OPCW, under the category they call “open sources”. As I have already commented in a report that made its way to the UN Security Council, these “open sources” have formed the backbone of the allegations of chemical attacks in Syria imputed to the government forces.

And Ynet was not the only news outlet that used the fake-rescuing photos signed “AFP” (French Press Agency”) to deceive about the White Helmets. A similar take, using the same image above, was used by Trendolizer:

trendolizer-297x300.jpg


Nevertheless, the Ynet article, titled “As some ‘White Helmets’ escaped Syria, most were left behind” contains an extensive pictorial showing the rescue work of the ‘White Helmets’, referred as to “a civilian rescue organization that works under bombardment to pull people from the rubble.” Of the nine photos in the pictorial, seven are credited to “AFP” press agency, one to “AP” (Associated Press), and one to Reuters.

In the pictures showed in the news article we see the White Helmets volunteers rescuing victims of attacks, some of them with bloody wounds or emergency paramedical aid worked on them. Examples below:

white-helmets-in-action.jpg


victim-is-a-whitehelmets-operative-see-his-brown-trousers-with-symbol-strings-etc.jpg


Should the U.N. Consider the White Helmets as a Politically Neutral Organization, and Its Allegations as Credible Sources by U.N. Investigative Panels on Syria?
Of course, any one with the idea of amplifying the picture above, could discover that the “patient” is another White Helmets operative. He sports the same uniform-trousers, and the tiny “White Helmets” symbol has not been Photoshop-erased from the right pocket.

We also see in the article a dramatic image of White Helmets rescuers extinguishing with bravery, a close distance, the fire exploding in a passenger bus – a rescue operation that, in the context given by the report, has been conducted “under bombardment” – meaning attacks presumably perpetrated by Syrian government forces or its allies.

white-helmets-extinguish-fire-in-passenger-bus.jpg


The Facts

Most of the scenes depicted in the AFP photographic material showed in the commented article do not correspond to actual, true, rescue operations. Instead, those are scenes from a rehearsal conducted by the White Helmet in Marea, near Aleppo. It’s about a training and rehearsal for instance how to set ablaze passenger buses and then posing while extinguishing the fire caused by “the attack” of government forces.

In no place in the the article YnetNews article is explained the true origin of the scenes depicted in the photographs, all of them bearing the sign of reputed press agencies, such as AFP.

Nevertheless, The Indicter had access to a video in which the scenes are described as “new White Helmets recruiters graduate…after taking part in training exercises”. And this footage is now uploaded by The Indicter Channel in You Tube. Click here or in the image below for the video:

cover-your-toube.jpg


The source of our footage is an uploaded material by Sharja24News. Facsimile here below, uploaded under the category “news and politics“:

wh-rehearsal.jpg


A reflection at first sight is to realize that White Helmets are not any longer referred as “new volunteers”, but as “new recruits”. And it correctly given, because the White Helmets operatives receive a monthly salary –indexed as “month stipend” by Google.

So, the material distributed in those regards by the Western MSM –as in the article commented above– do not correspond to real scenes of rescuing by the White Helmets.

And the immediately concern that arises is how real could these other similar scenes distributed by countless press agencies and media outlets are. For example, this scene reported as “after an unknown explosion” – no more details given:

after-unkniwn-explosion.jpg


Article edited by Dr. Lena Oske, MD, from The Indicter Editorial Board.

Prof. Marcello Ferrada de Noli is professor emeritus of epidemiology with research focus on Injury epidemiology, medicine doktor i psykiatri (PhD, Karolinska Institute), and formerly Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He is the founder and chairman of Swedish Professors and Doctors for Human Rights and editor-in-chief of The Indicter. Also publisher of The Professors’ Blog, and CEO of Libertarian Books – Sweden. Author of “Sweden VS. Assange – Human Rights Issues.”
 
Syria’s envoy to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, has said that Israel helped transfer terrorist militants who had previously been evacuated from the Golan Heights to other countries, including the United States.

The envoy also called for the withdrawal of US troops from Syrian territory: “We demand that the US and all its allies immediately leave the entire territory of Syria because their presence is illegal.”

The incident in question is Israeli forces’ recent evacuation of hundreds of members of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated “White Helmets” group and their families from southern Syria to Jordan at the request of several Western countries.

The Syrian government says that the “White Helmets NGO” has cooperated with terrorists and planned several chemical attacks to incriminate Damascus. In Damascus’ words, Israel’s evacuation aid was a “criminal operation.”

Jaafari also called out Turkey, saying that Ankara has not met its obligations to the de-escalation zone in the northern regions of Syria.

“Turkey does not fulfill its obligations in the province of Idlib … the Turkish authorities have sent heavily armed forces, and we all witnessed Turkey’s military actions in this region, as in Afrin, which they occupied, and occupied other settlements,” Jaafari said.

Syria’s diplomat pointed out that Turkey has violated its obligations under the Astana agreements, and added that the country has even introduced the Turkish lira into regions that are not controlled by Damascus.

With southern Syria virtually liberated from terrorist organizations by the Syrian Army, pro-government forces are now preparing for the long-anticipated operation against jihadist-held Idlib province.

Ankara is against the operation, as such poses two threats: (1) it could lead to thousands of jihadists pouring into Turkey to avoid the Syrian Army’s onslaught; (2) the very same terrorist groups on Syrian territory that Turkey has invested billions of dollars in alongside occupation operations, could be completely routed. Either option spells bad news for Turkey that has seen its power projection into Syria defeated and has seen the growth of Kurdish separatists in both Syria and Turkey.

As Syria denounces its neighbors’ aggressive actions and eyes liberating occupied territories, the role of mediating between different actors in the conflict will most likely fall to Russia, which has been the major driving force behind the defeat of foreign-backed terrorist forces in Syria since its intervention in September 2015.

Dated:

Syrian authorities release first photos from White Helmets base in southwest Syria
2018-07-27
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:00 P.M.) – The Syrian authorities have released the first photos from the White Helmets base that was uncovered by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in southwest Syria this morning.

According to a report from the Syrian Arab Army, the White Helmets base was uncovered inside the town of Sahm Joulan, which is located in the Yarmouk Basin region.

As shown in the photos released by the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the White Helmets base had a variety of explosives inside of it:

37844392_219894075534665_9160744228198809600_o.jpg

It is still not entirely clear why these weapons were stored inside of this White Helmets base; however, a local source told Al-Masdar that the explosives could have been stored in the base after the Islamic State (ISIS) took over the town.

Recently, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told Russian reporters that the White Helmets have two choices: surrender and reconcile with the government in southwest Syria or face potential death.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) – A Syrian government flagship made a mysterious stop at a Turkish port in the Sea of Marmara, yesterday, Yoruk Isik of the Bosphorous Observer reported.

According to Isik, the Syrian General Authority for Maritime Transport, SYRIAMAR, made a short stop at the Turkish Port of Hereke in the Gulf of Izmit on Tuesday.


The SYRIAMAR ship was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on August 3rd, 2015.

The reason for this brief stop is still unknown.

Turkey and Syria currently have no diplomatic ties, despite attempts by Iran and Russia to repair the relations between these neighboring countries.
 
03.08.2018 - White Helmets 'Pseudo-Humanitarian Activists' With Ties to Extremists - Moscow
White Helmets 'Pseudo-Humanitarian Activists' With Ties to Extremists – Moscow

The White Helmets volunteer organization had close ties with Syrian extremists and was fueling the conflict in the country, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday, adding that Moscow was not surprised by Canada's decision to accept the majority of the organization's activists evacuated from Syria.

"We paid our attention to Canada's decision to shelter White Helmets activists … Let me remind you that… these people had close ties with extremists. There is no surprise that now they will be also hidden in Canada … It is well known that Ottawa along with other Western countries has been providing for a long time a moral support and direct funding to the organization … Meanwhile, those pseudo-humanitarian activists … tried to preserve the state of war in Syria as long as possible, and to incite new conflicts," Zakharova said at a press briefing.

The statement was made after last week over 400 White Helmets' activists and their families were evacuated from Syria at the request of Canada, European countries, and the United States amid a full-scale offensive of Syrian government troops against terror groups in country’s southwestern regions. According to the CBC broadcaster, Canada was expected to take in 250 of the evacuated activists.

The White Helmets volunteer organization claims that its activities aim to protect Syrian civilians. According to Syrian President Bashar Assad, the group is affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization*.

Both Moscow and Damascus have accused the White Helmets of helping to stage a chemical attack in the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma on April 7. That attack prompted the United States, the United Kingdom and France to launch more than 100 missiles on multiple targets in Syria one week later. *al-Qaeda — a terrorist organization, banned in numerous countries, including Russia.


31.07.2018 - Syrian Envoy to UN: Israel Helped to Evacuate Militants from Golan Heights
Syrian Envoy to UN: Israel Helped to Evacuate Militants From Golan Heights

Israel previously evacuated several hundred White Helmets and their family members from southern Syria to Jordan at the request of several Western countries. The Syrian government, which believes that the NGO's members have been cooperating with terrorists and plotted several false flag attacks, stated that the transfer was a "criminal operation."

Syrian envoy to the UN Bashar Jaafari has said during Astana-format reconciliation talks that Israel helped to transfer militants, who had previously been evacuated from the Golan Heights to other countries, including the US.

After this operation of the White Helmets' evacuation, it has become absolutely clear that these countries — the US, Israel, and others — are covering terrorist organizations… The fact that it was done through the demarcation line between Syria and Israel means that those who are behind this organization do not respect the UN Charter and international law," Jaafari said.

The White Helmets volunteer organization claims that its activities aim to protect Syrian civilians. However, according to Syrian President Bashar Assad, the group is affiliated with the al-Qaeda* terrorist organization.

The White helmets were evacuated from Syria after the government forces liberated Daraa province from the militants.

The Syrian Arab Army launched an offensive in Daraa after its capital and several other cities were shelled by local militants despite an ongoing ceasefire reached with the help of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. Damascus aimed to regain control over its borders with Jordan and with the disputed territories of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel.

US Military Presence

According to Jafari, the Syrian government the United States and its allies should immediately leave the Syrian territories where their presence is illegal.

We require that the US and all its allies immediately leave the whole Syrian territory because their presence is illegal," the Syrian official stressed.

Washington and its allies have been engaged in a military operation against terrorist groups in Syria since 2014. The US-led coalition is operating in the country without authorization from the Syrian government or a UN Security Council resolution.

Turkish Activity in Syria

Addressing the tension between Turkey and Syria, the envoy stated that Damascus to kick out Turkish forces from the Syrian territory.

Jaafari also noted that Ankara was failing to meet its obligations regarding the de-escalation zone in the northern regions of Syria.

"Turkey does not meet its obligations on de-escalation in Idlib province… Turkish authorities sent there its heavily-armed forces. And we all witness military actions of Turkey in this region, up to Afrin, which they occupied. And they occupied other settlements," Jaafari stated.

He stressed that Turkey is the only country of the guarantor states that has violated its obligations under the Astana agreements, adding that it has introduced Turkish lira in regions that are not controlled by Damascus.
 
White Helmets exclusive: Terrorists or humanitarian volunteers? (E644)
Video / 20:08
In this episode, we speak to the boss of the White Helmets, Raed Al Saleh, about allegations of links to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in a Going Underground Exclusive. Plus, we speak to Vanessa Beeley, a journalist who has been on the ground in Syria during the war, about her accounts, which have differed widely from those of the White Helmets.



Damage Control

The White Helmets‏Verified account @SyriaCivilDef
https://twitter.com/SyriaCivilDef/status/1025380727104438272
6:59 AM - 3 Aug 2018
In yet one more restoration campaign, the #WhiteHelmets work diligently to return the city of #Afrin to a place of safety and normalcy. Teams use heavy equipment and sometimes just their hands to bring back life for the area.
 
Germany offers asylum to White Helmets, some MPs ask why not to Assange?
Published on Jul 26, 2018 (4:52 min.)



July 26, 2018 - Germany to Offer Asylum to Controversial ‘White Helmet’ Group, Outraged MPs Ask Why Not Julian Assange or Tommy Robinson?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/20...ask-why-not-julian-assange-or-tommy-robinson/

Germany’s decision to take in members of the controversial group the White Helmets has sparked outrage among lawmakers, some of whom are now demanding to know why the government isn’t offering to take in Julian Assange or Tommy Robinson instead.

The ‘White Helmets” are a controversial group of propaganda filmmakers in Syria accused of being linked to radical Islamist groups.

Responding to German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announcing that they will be granting asylum to eight members of the White Helmets and their families, Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Petr Bystron stated that he believes that they should be taking in Tommy Robinson instead of the radical Islamists.

“The connection between the White Helmets and Al Qaeda/Al Nusra is well documented. The White Helmets are notorious for producing Fake News and staged videos which German mainstream media then air, such as on the alleged chemical weapons attack in East Ghouta. Their friends in the German media are now making sure their radical Islamist allies in Syria get asylum in Germany, while a real political prisoner like Tommy Robinson rots in jail,” Bystron told The Gateway Pundit.

Bystron is the Speaker of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) on the Foreign Policy Committee of the German Bundestag. He went to Germany in 1988 as a political refugee and joined the AfD in 2013. He was chair of the AfD for the State of Bavaria 2015-2018. He is currently one of the top ten most popular German politicians on social media.

Even the German Left Party has expressed outrage and concern, stating that they would prefer to see their nation take in WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

“The federal government must offer asylum to the journalist and founder of WikiLeaks whistleblowing platform, Julian Assange, instead of accepting members of the controversial White Helmets group from Syria,” Heike Hänsel, the Deputy Chairman of the German Left Party told RT.

Hansel, like her right-wing counterpart, also asserted that the group has ties to Islamic terrorists.

“It is completely contradictory that Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on the one hand wants to fight Islamist terror, but on the other hand wants to bring in these members of Islamist terrorist militias to Germany,” Hänsel added.

Assange has been at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over six years after being granted asylum by the South American nation. However, his status at the embassy has been in jeopardy as Ecuador has come under increasing pressure from the US government.
 
3 August، 2018 - Zakharova: White Helmets had close ties with terrorists in Syria
Zakharova: White Helmets had close ties with terrorists in Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that the so-called “White Helmets” organization had close ties with terrorists in Syria and contributed to prolonging the crisis in it.

In her weekly press conference, Zakharova said that the ‘White Helmets’ turned out to be foreign agents serving anti-Syria interests for huge amounts of money, and this has been proved uncontestably by their evacuation and distribution to different countries.'

Zakharova said that the operations carried out by the Syrian Arab Army to eliminate terrorism in Daraa and Quneitra are nearing completion, pointing out that losses among the terrorists are increasing.

She stressed that the attempts of some UN officials to hold the Syrian state responsible for the terrorist act carried out by Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization in Sweida province are a blatant distortion of the actual situation in Syria, manipulation and trading in the tragedy of the citizens affected by terrorist acts, which harms the reputation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the administration he heads at the United Nations.

The Spokeswoman affirmed that the UNHCR’s statement manipulates the facts and deliberately and unknowingly distorts them.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the temporary and anti-Syrian goals have prevailed over common sense and truth, especially given the absence of any reaction by this international body which is called for defending human rights over the deals already struck with the terrorists of Daesh in Mosul and Raqqa,” the Russian official added.
 
What is utterly amazing is the gall that governments have in being so open about their involvement in terrorism and interfering with other countries business, all the while still issuing the platitudes about righteousness, when EVERYONE with two firing neurons can see what's going on!
 
Written by ORIENTAL REVIEW on 25/07/2018 - They Knew Too Much
They Knew Too Much | OrientalReview.org

The countries of the West used Israel to evacuate members of the White Helmets from southern Syria. They couldn’t be allowed to fall into the hands of the Syrian government — at least, not while they are still alive.

Essential human-rights defenders

Damascus is almost finished liberating southwestern Syria. The military’s Operation Basalt was extremely successful, allowing them to regain control of the occupied provinces of Quneitra and Daraa (at present the Syrian army has only a small chunk of land left to liberate from the jihadists). Many of the local gangs simply surrendered. Those militants who wanted to remain underwent a procedure of reconciliation with the authorities, while the others were put onto green buses and sent to Idlib.

However, those militants included some very valuable specimens — members of the “Syrian civil defense”, or, as they are more simply known, “the White Helmets.” If they were taken prisoner, that would be a serious problem for the US and its allies, since the members of that organization might have a lot to say once they were in front of the cameras. And the damage caused by their statements would be far worse than the fallout over the admissions made by Hassan Diab — the boy the “helmets” named as a victim of a chemical attack in Douma, who admitted that the attack had been staged for the photographers. And it would be so much worse, simply because the White Helmets — or at least their leaders — knew so much more.

The White Helmets have been the West’s most important weapon on the propaganda front of the Syrian war. They have acted as the local human-rights activists who have been snapping photos and shooting videos about the “chemical attacks” that that “bloody tyrant” has carried out against his own people. And based on precisely these facts, the US and its partners imposed sanctions against Damascus and have carried out acts of revenge in the form of attacks that would have been nothing less than carpet bombing, had Moscow not been careful to issue stern warnings about the consequences of these attacks.

They’ve gotten out of hand

The Syrian authorities, as well as Moscow, Tehran, and anyone else who gives it a minute’s thought, have naturally cautioned that this data is unreliable and that the White Helmets are, in fact, a PR service for terrorists, whose members chop off their captives’ heads once they take off those helmets, just as their un-helmeted counterparts do. And in order to rein in any growing doubts, the West began to create an image for the White Helmets as heroes without fear and above reproach — as fighters for human rights, who rescue ordinary Syrians from the rubble that was created when Assad’s troops bombed peaceful villages According to the official legend, the White Helmets have saved a total of 80,00 lives since 2012 -and some of them right in front of the cameras, after which the “seriously wounded” then stood up and ran somewhere else so they could be heroically saved again. A movie about them even won an Oscar. This means that no decent, upright person (including experts from the OPCW) should harbor any doubts that those pictures — taken from mobile phones somewhere or other, filming something or other — delivered to them by the White Helmets are anything other than real evidence of chemical attacks by Assad.

Over time, relations between Americans and the Helmets have deteriorated — in part because the new White House administration understood the futility of the Syrian front in the battle against Iran and did not want to get entangled in it. Fulfilling the orders of those who were, in contrast, interested in sucking the US further in, the Helmets staged more and more fake stories, trying to drag Trump into the war, which was the only chance the anti-Assad resistance had for victory. It was no surprise that the United States first stopped funding the organization, and then, when the progressive-minded public was outraged by this infringement of the rights of the heroes of the fight against that bloody tyrant, Washington agreed to allocate several million dollars anyway, so that the “heroes” could keep working until the end of the year. However, Washington was not ready to leave them in the lurch — those people know too much, and must not end up in Bashar al-Assad’s hands.

Let’s kill guys

In fact, a few other options did exist. For example, they could order a few killings and then claim those snipers had been employed by that “bloody tyrant,” who had apparently decided to take revenge on the Syrian heroes for exposing his crimes. That would be both cheaper and safer. But there were two problems with that. First of all, there were hundreds of people involved. Someone might dodge a bullet and scamper off to Assad. Second, pulling that tool out of their kit would damage their reputation – other potential tools in other conflicts would simply be too afraid to work with them in the future. To paraphrase Roosevelt, “They might be bastards, but they’re our bastards.”

And this is exactly why the West decided to pull the White Helmets out of southwestern Syria anyway. And they had to be pulled out as quickly as possible — the Syrians had taken control of the Jordanian border, and the “PR reps” were trapped on a small strip of land along the Golan Heights. And according to Benjamin Netanyahu, it was faced with this situation that US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked him to arrange the evacuation of the White Helmets and their family members, since “the people who saved lives were now under life-threatening danger.” The Israelis first brought them into their own country, before turning them over to the Jordanians.

A total of 422 people (the White Helmets and the members of their families) were pulled out, according to official figures. Now they are being held in a secret shelter inside Jordan, and in three months they will be resettled in Britain, Canada, and Germany. Far from the cameras. And since the data on their subsequent whereabouts will be strictly classified, no one will be able to stop the West from quietly killing off the most important and most dangerous of them. Just to be on the safe side.
 
Decision to bring White Helmets to Canada dangerous and criminal
by Eva Bartlett
Did Canadians get to vote on whether or not to bring potential terrorists or supporters of terrorists to Canada? No. Will Canadians get a say in where these potentially dangerous men will be settled? Highly unlikely.

Ninety-eight members of the White Helmets, and a few hundred of their families, were evacuated by Israel and allies to Jordan late in evening of July 21. They will seemingly be shipped off to a few Western nations for resettlement: Canada, the UK, and Germany. So far, Canada has pledged to take 50 White Helmets and around 200 family members.
Wrongly dubbed the “Syrian Civil Defense” (the actual Syrian Civil Defense has existed since 1953), the White Helmets narrative is flawed in every conceivable manner.

Packaged as neutral, heroic, volunteer rescuers, who have “saved 115,000 lives”, according to White Helmets leader Raed Al Saleh, they are in reality a massively Western-funded organization with salaried volunteers, and have no documentation of those 115,000 saved. They contain numerous members who have participated in or supported criminal acts in Syria, including torture, assassinations, beheading, and kidnapping of civilians, as well as inciting Western military intervention in Syria

James LeMesurier, a former member of the British military who founded the White Helmets, did so in countries neighbouring Syria: in Turkey and Jordan. They have since worked solely in terrorist-held areas of Syria, and according to Syrian civilians in eastern Ghouta, they worked directly with, or were themselves, extremists of Jaysh al-Islam or other extremist groups. Civilians in east Aleppo said that White Helmets worked with al-Qaeda in Syria (the Nusra Front).

The fact that White Helmets centres are frequently, if not always, found near or next to headquarters of al-Qaeda and other terrorist factions further supports the accusations that they collaborate with terrorists—even with ISIS, as noted by ISIS hostage John Cantlie. He described the White helmets as an “ISIS fire brigade“.

White Helmets have also been at the scene of executions; filmed standing over dead Syrian soldiers; cheering on and cleaning up after an execution in Daraa Governorate, and disposing of the bodies of assassinated Syrian soldiers (including decapitated bodies) in Daraa Governorate.

White Helmets members were present to welcome Saudi terrorist Abdullah al-Muhaysini, leader of al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) who the US government designated a terrorist for “acting for or on behalf of” al-Nusra, and helping to finance them.

Over sixty White Helmets members have clear ties to terrorist and extremist groups, as shown by their own social media accounts and videos. In many of their own photos they hold weapons. Some White Helmets members have called for the murders of Shia villagers in Idlib governorate, and were instrumental in the massacre and injury of over 300 villagers, including 116 children in April 2017.
Not exactly neutral and members of the Daraa batch of White Helmets could very possibly be among those soon to be en route to Western nations.

Not Russian propaganda: Canadian, American, British journalists first exposed the White Helmets

In September 2014, independent Canadian journalist Cory Morningstar wrote about the New York City PR firm, Purpose Inc, and its propaganda role regarding the White Helmets. In March and April 2015, independent US journalist Rick Sterling, further scrutinized the White Helmets and related “humanitarian” groups serving to call for a no-fly-zone in Syria.

Since then, and for years now, concerned journalists and commentators have written or posed questions on the entity known as the White Helmets. In addition to the years-long investigations by Vanessa Beeley, commentators – from former British ambassador to Syria Peter Ford, award-winning US journalist Gareth Porter, award-winning journalist John Pilger, and even rock legend Roger Waters, have noted that the White Helmets are a dangerous and fraudulent group, or as Pilger put it, a propaganda construct.

I have already outlined this chronology of investigations, refuting corporate media claims that voices critical of the White Helmets stem from Russian influence. Yet, slavish supporters of the White Helmets, continue to demonize anyone posing critical and needed questions on this group, generally labelling such people as “Russian bots”, “influenced by Russia”, or some variation of that, in an attempt to insist only people under the influence of Russia have been critical of the White Helmets.

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In the case of the Atlantic Council’s Ben Nimmo, his tweet on the lack of or scant mention by RT or Sputnik in 2014, 2015, to mid 2016 of the White Helmets supports my argument: those are precisely the times when the above-mentioned independent journalists were investigating the group.

White Helmets next to terrorists’ headquarters

In Syria, I saw two different White Helmets centres in close proximity to terrorists’ headquarters: one in eastern Aleppo, and one in Saqba, eastern Ghouta. The Saqba centre was two hundred metres from a factory extremists used to manufacture mortars and missiles, quite possibly those used to bomb civilians in Damascus.


It contained a fire-truck stolen from the real Syrian Civil Defense, as well as ambulances and vehicles all torched when the White Helmets left Ghouta with terrorists of Jaysh al-Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman, among others. They were all safely transported to Idlib as per the deal with the Syrian government.

The other White Helmets centre I saw was in the Ansari district of Aleppo’s east. Formerly a school (and now returned to this status), this centre was a half minute’s walk to the headquarters of al-Qaeda in Syria, as well as the Abu Amara Brigades, and other extremists.

Vanessa Beeley, who had previously been to Ansari, wrote a detailed article additionally noting that just 200 metres from that same White Helmets centre was Al Mashad Square, where 12-year-old Palestinian youth, Abdullah Issa, was savagely tortured and then slowly beheaded.


In the Old City, next to Aleppo’s citadel last May, I spoke with an older man who had remained in Aleppo during the terrorists’ rule. He told me: “The Civil Defence is supposed to rescue people, but they used to steal women’s earrings from their dead bodies. If she was wearing gold, they’d cut her hand to steal it. They are thieves, not rescuers. We saw them murdering people, many times.

In Douma and Kafr Batna, I spoke with civilians who told me they saw Jaysh al-Islam extremists wearing White Helmets uniforms, and White Helmets working with Jaysh al-Islam. Another eastern Ghouta resident, Marwan Qreisheh, said the early White Helmets members who came to Ghouta weren’t Syrian, didn’t speak Arabic, and used their money to attract “volunteers”.

He spoke of them staging rescue scenes: “They’d start filming and claiming that SAA hit this area, it was in front of our eyes, and we knew it was all staged, but we didn’t dare to stand against them because they would kill us, they would empty their gun in you immediately.

Who killed the civilians in White Helmets Douma videos?

It was the White Helmets who released (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC) videos and photos alleging a chemical attack in Douma in April 2018. Yet, no civilian among the many I met in Douma believed there had been a chemical attack and medical staff didn’t see patients exposed to a chemical agent. More recently, the OPCW ruled out the use of a nerve agent used in Douma, finding only traces of “chlorinated organic chemicals”.

So, who and what killed the women and children shown in the White Helmets-distributed video from Douma? Did the White Helmets take part in their murder, or merely film their bodies (some arranged) after the fact?

Corporate media has diligently avoided asking a single honest question of the propaganda group they laud, and has for years attacked those of us who do ask questions and take testimonies of Syrian civilians on this matter.

Canadian cover for White Helmets

Canada has been assisting the White Helmets for some years now, under the pretext of aiding humanitarians. While the full extent of Canadian financial support to the White Helmets has yet to be revealed, at least Can$7.5 million (US$5.7mn) was given to the group, helping withthe development and expansion of early warning air raid systems.

Following the Israeli evacuation of White Helmets and their families from southern Syria, Global Affairs Canada released a statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, on the “courageous volunteers”, regurgitating the White Helmets “save the innocent and the wounded” unsubstantiated claim.

Unsubstantiated because, in spite of the fancy videos, neither the White Helmets nor its UK backers can provide a list of the supposed over 115,000 civilians rescued.

While the media has lauded Canada’s role in the evacuation of the White Helmets members, it’s worth noting the person, Robin Wettlaufer, behind this evacuation effort. Wettlaufer met with White Helmet leader Raed Saleh (once denied entry to the US due to his potential ties to extremists, according to Mark Toner) in late June, as the Syrian army was regaining territory in Daraa governorate.

Wettlaufer has held the Istanbul-based position of Special Representative for Syria, under Global Affairs Canada, from March 2014 to present, according to her LinkedIn page.

In fact, she is the Special Representative to the Syrian Opposition, something noted in a December 2016 Global Affairs Canada video featuring Wettlaufer.

Given that Wettlaufer is thus Canada’s Representative to extremists in Syria, her key role in instigating the evacuation of the White Helmets is hardly surprising, let alone praise-worthy. But it should be worrying to Canadians. Did Canadians get to vote on whether or not to bring potential terrorists or supporters of terrorists to Canada? No. No vote in the Parliament, no public discussion. Will Canadians get a say in where these potentially dangerous men will be settled? No sign of that so far, and indeed highly unlikely.

Why did the Canadian government refuse the entry of 100 injured Palestinian children from Gaza in 2014, a truly humanitarian effort, and yet will fast-track the entry of potentially dangerous men with potential ties to terrorists?

As for the claims of danger to the White Helmets in southern Syria, their comrades in eastern Aleppo and in eastern Ghouta were safely transported out of those areas, along with their families and with extremists who refused to take amnesty, while Aleppo and eastern Ghouta had peace restored. The White Helmets are potential security threats to citizens in the Western nations planning on hosting them.

As citizens privy to all this information and all the questions on the White Helmets, we must demand our governments reverse this plan, or at least provide us with confirmation that the immigrants in question have been fully investigated and have not been involved in terrorist activities in Syria in any way.
 
White Helmets

This all reminds me of the famous Ratline after WWII transferring Nazis and Ukrainian "freedom fighters" to the West. Some fine individuals were amongst these people who then went on to grafter their "World View" onto the US and its evolution.

This video is also an interesting "window" on what happened in Syria,
Undercover
 
This all reminds me of the famous Ratline after WWII transferring Nazis and Ukrainian "freedom fighters" to the West. Some fine individuals were amongst these people who then went on to grafter their "World View" onto the US and its evolution.

This video is also an interesting "window" on what happened in Syria,
Undercover

Thanks for Posting the interesting video, Hi_Henry! :-) Much appreciated.

A website I frequent - carries many videos like that - "of Syria and Iraq" but they are often very graphic and raw (18+) like the video you just Posted. My main interest in the site below is basically to collaborate other reports, of "on the ground developments" in the Syrian and Iraq war zones. Their news reports often compliment many articles done by the RT and Sputnik news agencies, in reference to the same content.

Syria Archives ⋆ AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
 
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