Kafranbel on Assad terrorism. #*Syria*<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Syria&src=hash>- pic.twitter.com/rCiTK5wsWi <http://t.co/rCiTK5wsWi> 9:14 AM - 26 Apr 2013<https://twitter.com/Nora0315/statuses/327787893315731456> [image: View image on Twitter]<http://twitter.com/Nora0315/status/327787893315731456/photo/1>
: *Today's Message from Kafranbel.* The town of Kafranbel may be the opposition's most famous faces. Last week, they gained international attention when they sent a message of condolence to the victims of the Boston marathon bombing (a message we deeply appreciated<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/24/us-opinion-from-boston-to-syria-suffering-is-not-relative.html>). In reality, however, their English messages have often caught headlines for their wit, defiance, and persistence. Their banners may get too much attention specifically because they are in English, but they are almost always worth a mention. Below is today's message, but if you are not familiar with the town (and even if you are) there is awhole website dedicated to their messages <http://www.occupiedkafranbel.com/>, and it is worth spending lots of time viewing: *Friday Protests.* Today is day 773 <http://beta.syriadeeply.org/> of the Syrian uprising. Every Friday since day 1 there have been widespread anti-Assad protesters. Syrian citizens attend mosque on the Islamic day of prayer, then take to the streets to protest. Some of them never make it to the mosque, as they are stopped by pro-Assad forces. Some never make it home. On some Fridays, mosques have been attacked by pro-Assad elements, or people have been arrested or killed protesting just outside. Standing up to the Assad regime, either by force or by peaceful protest, is now and has always been a dangerous act of defiance. Each protest also has a theme, voted on by Syrian activists on a Facebook page. Today's protest roughly translates to "Friday demonstrations to protect the majority." It has many layers of meaning. First, it is a reminder that the majority of Syrians, in fact the vast majority, oppose Assad's rule (even if they do not necessarily support the rebellion). Second, it is a reference to the media coverage. When Syria's minorities are attacked by anyone, it grabs international headlines. In the past, even unconfirmed (and later debunked<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/6/11/syria-opinion-the-vaticans-dangerous-game-on-persecution-pla.html>) persecution of minorities drives international outrage. Meanwhile, to the majority of Syrians who deal with death, destruction, and persecution every day, these incidents breed frustration. Sectarianism is in the news this week. Two of Aleppo's Christian bishops have been kidnapped by parties still unknown. Hezbollah has brought the country closer to an all-out sectarian conflict<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/26/syria-analysis-could-hezbollah-involvement-spark-sectarian-v.html>, and there are concerns that things are only getting worse. The mainstream opposition groups, however, have denounced the kidnapping of the bishops, and have rejected calls for Jihad against Hezbollah or supporters for Assad. More than anything, though, this week was just another deadly chapter, like many others, of Syria's uprising. Today's theme references that. Below is a playlist containing just a few of today's protests, from Kafranbel to Aleppo, Damascus to Hama. We will continue to update it throughout the day. If you really want to understand the streets of Syria, remember that each of these protesters is taking their lives into their hands, and some of them won't live to protest next Friday: *(There are 16 videos within this)* * http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLnVerz9z4u-oKH7NNzHlRjNgsFl29ZHB_&v=taadiuPhLeM&feature=player_embedded#! * 1256 GMT: *Regime Denies it Even Possesses Chemical Weapons.* Syria has chemical weapons. This fact has been well established by intelligence groups over the course of many years. Unlike the claimed chemical weapons held by Saddam Hussein, above ground installations have been used by the Assad regime to both create and store chemical weapons stockpiles. The Syrian government has made little or no attempt to hide their development of chemical weapons, using them as a deterrent to would-be enemies. It is likely that the openness with which Assad has created and stored these weapons is the key reason why the United States and others have not had the concerns about Syria that they had about Iraq. Also, the Syrian government has not denied possessing chemical weapons. Until today. With a growing chorus of world leaders saying that Assad has crossed, or may have crossed, the "red line" by using sarin gas on his own people, the Assad regime has responded. According to Syria's Information Minister, not only has the regime never used chemical weapons, it does not possess chemical weapons<http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/26/Turkey-says-chemical-arms-use-would-escalate-Syria-crisis.html> : * This has been done by organizations, including al-Qaeda, which threatened to use chemical weapons against Syria. They have carried out their threat near Aleppo. There were victims, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said in Moscow. The Syrian army does not have chemical weapons, Interfax news agency quoted Zoubi as saying. * There needs to be a lot of debate about what to do about Syria, and mysteries remain about whether or not the regime has used chemical weapons. But anyone trying to cloud the issue by denying that Syria does not have weapons, harkening the Iraq WMD fiasco, is simply trying to cloud the issue. There is no debate. It's interesting that this denial from the regime is coming at a moment when it is externally threatened, because In fact, at a different point in time when Assad was threatened, the regime admitted that it did possess chemical weapons. In July 2012, the Syrian government admitted that it had chemical weapons<http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-07-23/Syria-violence-rebels/56425402/1>, that they were secure, and that they would only be used if they were threatened by an external invasion: * During a televised news conference Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi stressed that the weapons are secure and would only be used in the case of an external attack. "No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria no matter what the developments inside Syria," he said. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression." * In short, many questions remain about Syria, but this is not one of them. James Miller takes over today's live coverage. Thanks to Scott Lucas for getting us started this morning. http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/26/syria-today-the-debate-over-chemical-weapons.html Syria Analysis: Could Hezbollah Involvement Spark Sectarian Violence?<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/26/syria-analysis-could-hezbollah-involvement-spark-sectarian-v.html> inShare1 Friday, April 26, 2013 at 3:53 | James Miller<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/author/james-miller> in EA Middle East and Turkey<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/category/ea-middle-east-and-turkey> , Middle East and Iran<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/category/middle-east-and-iran> http://goo.gl/NBJmh Could increased involvement by Hezbollah transform the civil war between regime troops and the insurgency into a open Sunni-Shia/Alawite sectarian conflict, at least in the al-Qusair region? Sectarianism has played a relatively small role in the Syrian civil war to date. Support for the insurgency, like support for Assad, is ethnically diverse. However, Hezbollah's incursions into the border region, and increasing lawlessness along the Lebanese border area, may be major catalysts for greater sectarian violence, at least between Al Qusayr and the border with Lebanon. Click to read more ...<http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2013/4/26/syria-analysis-could-hezbollah-involvement-spark-sectarian-v.html> ------------------------------------------------ http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/solidarity-with-the-syrian-revolution-and-solidarity-with-the-revolutionary-left-in-syria/ Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution and Solidarity with the Revolutionary Left in Syria<http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/solidarity-with-the-syrian-revolution-and-solidarity-with-the-revolutionary-left-in-syria/> Posted on April 25, 2013<http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/solidarity-with-the-syrian-revolution-and-solidarity-with-the-revolutionary-left-in-syria/> <http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/solidarity-with-the-syrian-revolution-and-solidarity-with-the-revolutionary-left-in-syria/#respond> [image: Image]<http://syriafreedomforever.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/282232_374787675932794_1672348593_n.jpg> Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution Solidarity with the Revolutionary Left in Syria The Syrian people decided to revolt since March 2011 against a ferocious dictatorship for its emancipation, freedom, dignity and social justice. The Assads dictatorship responded to the peaceful demands of the protesters with harsh and terrible violence, leading to tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of injured and imprisoned, millions of displaced persons and refugees, and devastated and destroyed towns and neighborhoods. The Syrian Revolution is a genuine popular revolution. It was able to thwart the attempts of the dictatorial regime to transform it into a sectarian war. The rebellious people have upheld and struggle successfully to keep their independence from any hegemonic attempts to take over their revolution. The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria is committed and engaged in this democratic and social revolutionary dynamics. The Revolutionary Left Current in Syria needs our help and our support to strengthen its role and its capacities to intervene in the popular struggles in Syria. Long live the Peoples Revolution in Syria Long live International Solidarity The Association Solidarity Syria, « *Association Solidarité Syrie *», (Association registered in France) has the objective to bring help and assistance to the Revolutionary Left Current in Syria. Association Accounts information: SOLIDARITE SYRIE LIEU DIT LA VOLINIERE 27270 ST AUBIN DU THENNEY FRANCE CAISSE DEPARGNE NORMANDIE c/ETABL.: 11425 c/Guichet: 00900 n/compte:08000936276 c/Rib: 67 BIC / CEPARFPP142 FR76 1142 5009 0008 0009 3627 667 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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