The aim of the Syria Facts campaign is to tackle misconceptions about the Syrian conflict and to raise awareness of what is really happening in Syria. There are a number of things people can do to get involved in this campaign:
1) Tweet facts you know about Syria (with sources) under the hashtag #SyriaFacts that we can add to our Syria Facts campaign
2) Retweet and share our facts - you can find us @Rethink_Rebuild
3) Ask us what you want to know about the conflict by tweeting @Rethink_Rebuild under hashtag #SyriaFacts
Top Facts You Should Know About the Syrian Conflict:
1) The Syrian War is not a ‘civil’ war.
Syria is not a 'civil' war with the people killing each other. It is a revolution against an oppressive regime. The uprising started when some teenagers wrote freedom graffiti on the walls of a town in Daraa. They were arrested and tortured. When their parents and the townspeople protested at their children’s treatment, the regime reacted violently towards the people. The regimes continued violent response to peaceful protests eventually eclipsed into a full scale revolution.
2) The Syrian War is not a religious conflict
The Syrian war is not a religious conflict. Christians, Sunnis, Shias all lived together peacefully in Syria. When the regime did not give the people their freedom and dignity, an uprising occurred. Assad then tried to create a sectarian war to keep himself in power.
3) The cause of the Syrian War is a result of the regimes violence (1)
79% of Syrian refugees say that Assad's violent response to peaceful protests is what caused the Syrian war.
4) Assad is fighting civilians – not terrorism (4)
Assad justifies his brutality against his people by claiming he is fighting ISIS, therefore he claims himself to be the least bad alternative. The truth is there have been indicators of collaboration between the regime and ISIS which show how Assad is using the threat of terror to further his own goals and silence the voice of the people of Syria who are demanding their dignity and freedom. Instead is not the alternative but the creator of terrorism. So if we want to get rid of terrorism, we need to get rid of Assad.
5) The Assad regime is still in power because of foreign backing – not popular support (4)
Assad claims he remains in power because of popular support, however it is foreign backing, not popular support that has propped up the Assad regime till now. For instance Russia and Iran have provided training arms and financial backing to the Assad regime which have been instrumental in keeping it in power.
6) ISIS is not an ‘opposition’ group (4)
Syrian opposition groups exist within the context of a national struggle against a brutal dictatorship. ISIS exists for a purpose unrelated to this struggle against the Syrian regime. ISIS has assumed as an enemy any group that does not submit to its rule, however its central aim is unrelated to the Syrian people’s uprising against the Assad dictatorship. As such it can’t be designated as an opposition group, but rather should be considered a third party to the Syrian conflict.
7) ISIS’s targets are not just religious and ethnic minorities (4)
ISIS brutality is not confined to any specific demographic. ISIS has inflicted its brutality to any group that resists its rule or refuses to adopt its specific interpretation of Islam, including Sunni Muslim groups that refuse to pledge allegiance to it.
8) The majority of civilian deaths in Syria are a result of the Assad Regime, not ISIS (1)
94.7% of civilian deaths are caused by the Syrian regime’s constant bombing of towns and hospitals, as opposed to 1.1% which are caused by ISIS. Who’s the bigger evil? The only reason why the West goes on about ISIS killings and no other killings is because ‘Muslim’ terrorism fits in the narrative of their war on terror which is essentially ‘Muslims are terrorists against our freedoms, we are good people fighting the terrorists for the whole world’s freedoms.’ Anything that doesn’t fit into this narrative is ignored which brings us onto the next point…
9) The Syrian regimes barrel bombs kill more civilians than ISIS and Al-Qaeda combined (2)
One of the weapons Assad uses against civilians are barrel bombs filled with metal and debris, which cause destruction when thrown from planes and helicopters at a great distance. They can destroy entire towns and are the reason for the majority of civilian casualties. ISIS are pretty small fry compared to this. Yet Western foreign policy is focused on tackling ISIS while doing nothing about Assad. So the West only cares about freedom and democracy when it suits its own narrative. See point 8.
10) Russia has caused 1% of civilian deaths in Syria - ISIS has caused 1.1% (1)
What’s the difference?
11) The majority of Russian airstrikes don’t target Isis (5)
Over 90% of Russian airstrikes don’t deter the threat of Isis. Most of their airstrikes are against hospitals and medical personnel which help’s the Assad regime rather than the people trying to fight for their freedom. So this whole idea of Russia fighting terrorism, doesn’t really fit.
12) There are currently more than 1 million people under siege in Syria (1)
99% of those under siege are as an immediate result of the Assad regime, without access to food, water, electricity and medical aid.
13) 100% of deaths from starvation in Syria are due to the Syrian regime (1)
There have been 414 deaths from starvation due to the regime. Due to the Syrian regime bombing cities, the main roads have been cut off making delivering aid extremely difficult. To top it off the regime does not allow aid through. This has resulted in starvation among the towns that have been besieged, leading to deaths including children.
14) 11.5% of civilians have been killed or injured in the Syrian conflict (6)
To put this number into perspective, that is one person killed or injured every minute.
15) The most refugees in the world are coming from Syria
This is due to the war in their country. Making Syria safer would solve the problem of the refugee crisis.
16) Over half of Syrian refugees have fled due to an imminent threat to their own and their families lives (3)
69% of refugees say they fled Syria due to urgent threat on family or selves – not due to wanting to earn more money and steal European jobs like far right propaganda wants us to believe.
17) Refugees would return to Syria if the International Community made parts of the country safe. (3)
92% of Syrian refugees want to return to their own country. 60% of refugees would go back to Syria even with the ongoing crisis if the international community took action to make areas in Syria safe for refuge.
18) The Syrian People are fighting against three different forces.
The people of Syria are fighting on three different fronts: Assad’s forces who are brutalising them simply for asking for their freedoms; the US coalition including Russia who is backing Assad; and ISIS who Assad created to distract the world from his atrocities against his own people.
Sources:
(1) Taking Sides: The United Nations' Loss of Impartiality, Independence and Neutrality in Syria
(2) The Syrian Regimes Barrell Bombs Kill More Civilians Than ISIS and AlQaida Combined http://www.ibtimes.com/syrian-regimes-barrel-bombs-kill-more-civilians-i...
(3) Listen to Refugees - First survey of Syrian refugees in Europe
(4) Syria Between Dictatorship and ISIS: What Can the United Kingdom Do?
(5) More Than 90% of Russian Airstrikes in Syria Have Not Targeted ISIS https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/russia-airstrikes-syria-no...
(6) Report on Syria conflict finds 11.5% of population killed or injured https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/11/report-on-syria-conflict-f...
