December Discussions - Syria
Aleppo is the place where the dead are lying,
Crash, boom, bang - the shrapnel pieces fly,
Aleppo is the place where children have stopped crying,
How can we claim that we are good people,
People who truly care, when there are children without mothers, fathers and friends
I feel for Syria more than words can describe,
But what I think the worst thing about this is how I am desensitised,
I am not shocked anymore I kind of expect to hear it,
Until I watch the headlines and see a teen daughter has lost her father, brother and sister too,
It brings you back to reality. Shit, she's just like me she's just like you
I am not alone, I have my family, I have my home, a career prospect maybe,
People don't understand Syrians don't flee to steal jobs, they flee for safety,
These people are doctors, athletes, graduates, teachers, workers of the land,
They are not 'dirty immigrants' - they just need a hand,
They don't know who's bombing them, their government or a country from across the pond,
Whoever it is, it just doesn't correspond
How can you take part in something so inhumane destroying towns, villages, homes, hope?
What have these people done to you? Why do we only rest in peace? Why can't we live in peace too?
There is no life left the rubble on the streets crush bodies, hope, hearts and minds,
It crushes the people of the future, the shrapnel pieces blind,
Free Syria from the shackles of the oppressor, we can't just sit and do nothing no more,
This sitting twiddling our thumbs, doing nothing, must be against the law
We have it luckier in the West but we still don't appreciate,
We have to help somehow before it gets too late,
Before there's nothing left of the land known as Syria,
Mothers crying on the news they are full of hysteria,
What have these innocent people done? They are just trying to survive the night
We have got to assist somehow, you know it's right,
Because Aleppo is the place where the dead are lying,
Crash, boom, bang, the shrapnel pieces fly,
Aleppo is the place where children have stopped crying
____________________________________________
I have been meaning to write up a post about an interactive talk I went to at my university about sex and the porn industry. I had written down so many notes from it I don't even know where to start so I decided to type up about something else. Thank you to everyone who made it to the end of this poem. I am not very good at typing up poetry and usually just jot it down very messily in my notebook or phone so the stanza structure is probably all over the place, so if any literature students are reading sorry for sending you in to a panicked frenzy. I don't really have a name for it, it's just something I wrote when I was travelling from Greenwich to St. Pancras yesterday. I saw a video on Facebook (which I'll post a link to) that in it's description describes Aleppo as the place where children have stopped crying. I watched this on Sunday afternoon and it played on my mind through to Monday and even today.
What is going on in Syria is undoubtedly heart breaking. The civil war going on isn't actually recent and has actually been going on for five years. It is being fought by soldiers who support the president of Syria (Bashar al- Assad) and a group of fighters known as the rebels who do not want to be under his rule anymore. A significant amount of the conflict is taking place in Aleppo and the war is believed to have been triggered back in 2011 because local people protested about 15 school children arrested and tortured for writing propaganda anti- government statements on a wall. This led to protest to free these children, democracy and greater freedom for the people of Syria. Initially this protest was peaceful but the government reacted angrily and on the 18th March 2011, the army opened fire killing four protesters. This was followed by the shooting of mourners at the victims funerals killing more people. This led to anger, upset and unrest and spread throughout the country. Protesters wanted Bashar al- Assad to step down due to the violence of the army but he has refused to, further enraging protesters.
What has complicated the Syrian conflict even more is the rise of the IS state in neighboring country Iraq. IS have been taking over a vast amount of the country since 2014 and are using violence against anyone who doesn't agree with their extreme views and acts of terror. Acknowledging how weak Syria has become, they have used this to their advantage and occupy parts of East Syria where they have acquired land and power. This means that Bashar al - Assad has to deal with different groups of Syrian rebels and the IS state also.
Since 2014, other countries outside of Asia such as the UK and USA have joined forces to attack IS fighters in Syria and Iraq known as air-strikes. In early December 2015, MP's voted in favour of military action in Syria against IS. These air-strikes have meant several people have had to abandon their homes to find somewhere safer to leave resulting in a refugee crisis. Lots of children can no longer go to school due to schools being destroyed or their teachers fleeing. Some families have decided to flee to Jordan or Turkey and others who don't even feel safe there and seek a better life, try to flee to Europe. This journey is incredibly dangerous and some countries such as Germany willingly accept refugees and allow them to start a new life. Some countries have been less willing to accept refugees due to their already existing economic problems. From learning about the crisis, personally I feel shame and confusion towards people who believe that these people are coming to 'steal jobs.' The air-strikes from both the USA and UK play a role in why Syria is an unsafe place to live. They are a reason as to why they have to flee. These refugees are left with nothing and yes, perhaps getting a job further a long the line might mean a native to the country will 'lose out', but if a refugee was more suited for the job, what's the big deal? These people who are fleeing are medical workers, teachers, engineers etc. Professions where these workers are in high demand.
Getting aid to Syria is difficult and also very dangerous. In September this year, lorries full of aid were hit resulting in the UN announcing that it will stop providing physical aid such as blankets, food etc. The weapons that have been used is also a popular topic that has been up for dispute. Internationally, there is a ban which stops chemical weapons being used in warfare for obvious reasons. However, it has been revealed that chemical weapons have been used which has sparked anger globally, but the Syrian government has denied that it was responsible for this.
Bashar al - Assad has strong ties with the Russian government which has helped Syria before by providing weapons, but in 2013, Russia put forward the idea that the Syrian government should destroy their chemical weapons so they could never be used. This process began in October 2013 and the people working on this project later received a Nobel Peace Prize.
The war has produced organisations such as The White Helmets that help the people of Syria. The White Helmets (AKA Syria Civil Defense) are a volunteer civil defense organisation within the country not affiliated to the government which operates in rebel-controlled parts of Syria. The White Helmets goal is to save people in the shortest time possible and to try prevent further injury and to protect property. The organisation also aims to search and rescue civilians and evacuate them from dangerous areas. There is a great short film on Netflix called The White Helmets, which I recommend watching that gives great insight to the strain of the war and these brave and heroic people.
My heart yearns for Syria and I hope this conflict stops soon. Below I have posted links to Amnesty International, Youtube Videos explaining the conflict and articles on the organisations that need our help and what we can do to help. You can give a one off donation or donate monthly to Syria via the Amnesty International website. Dig deep if you can, but even £1 can make a difference. Start a charitable event, support the charities, support the Civilians, support the White Helmets. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post, feel free to comment if you disagree or feel like I have missed out information or not explained things properly xx
Amnesty International Make A Donation -
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/giving/donate/give-monthly
Amnesty International Info About Syria Website -
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Syria?gclid=Cj0KEQiAyuPCBRCimuayhb3qqvwBEiQAgz62kfco-13chhdMpP1ibBm_zME4jtVU2zbY7ZW8jqoecYUaAkuf8P8HAQ
Aleppo Is A Place Where Children Have Stopped Crying Video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nes62FA6AQ
European Syrian Refugee Crisis Explained -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOnXh3NN9w
The War In Syria Explained in 5 Minutes -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5H5w3_QTG0
16 Organisations That Need Our Help -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/aleppo-evacuation-syria-war-crisis-help-aid-organisations-donations-red-cross-white-helmets-pro-a7484181.html
Real Things We Can Do To Help Syria -
http://www.upworthy.com/7-real-things-you-can-do-right-now-about-the-catastrophe-in-aleppo
Crash, boom, bang - the shrapnel pieces fly,
Aleppo is the place where children have stopped crying,
How can we claim that we are good people,
People who truly care, when there are children without mothers, fathers and friends
I feel for Syria more than words can describe,
But what I think the worst thing about this is how I am desensitised,
I am not shocked anymore I kind of expect to hear it,
Until I watch the headlines and see a teen daughter has lost her father, brother and sister too,
It brings you back to reality. Shit, she's just like me she's just like you
I am not alone, I have my family, I have my home, a career prospect maybe,
People don't understand Syrians don't flee to steal jobs, they flee for safety,
These people are doctors, athletes, graduates, teachers, workers of the land,
They are not 'dirty immigrants' - they just need a hand,
They don't know who's bombing them, their government or a country from across the pond,
Whoever it is, it just doesn't correspond
How can you take part in something so inhumane destroying towns, villages, homes, hope?
What have these people done to you? Why do we only rest in peace? Why can't we live in peace too?
There is no life left the rubble on the streets crush bodies, hope, hearts and minds,
It crushes the people of the future, the shrapnel pieces blind,
Free Syria from the shackles of the oppressor, we can't just sit and do nothing no more,
This sitting twiddling our thumbs, doing nothing, must be against the law
We have it luckier in the West but we still don't appreciate,
We have to help somehow before it gets too late,
Before there's nothing left of the land known as Syria,
Mothers crying on the news they are full of hysteria,
What have these innocent people done? They are just trying to survive the night
We have got to assist somehow, you know it's right,
Because Aleppo is the place where the dead are lying,
Crash, boom, bang, the shrapnel pieces fly,
Aleppo is the place where children have stopped crying
____________________________________________
I have been meaning to write up a post about an interactive talk I went to at my university about sex and the porn industry. I had written down so many notes from it I don't even know where to start so I decided to type up about something else. Thank you to everyone who made it to the end of this poem. I am not very good at typing up poetry and usually just jot it down very messily in my notebook or phone so the stanza structure is probably all over the place, so if any literature students are reading sorry for sending you in to a panicked frenzy. I don't really have a name for it, it's just something I wrote when I was travelling from Greenwich to St. Pancras yesterday. I saw a video on Facebook (which I'll post a link to) that in it's description describes Aleppo as the place where children have stopped crying. I watched this on Sunday afternoon and it played on my mind through to Monday and even today.
What is going on in Syria is undoubtedly heart breaking. The civil war going on isn't actually recent and has actually been going on for five years. It is being fought by soldiers who support the president of Syria (Bashar al- Assad) and a group of fighters known as the rebels who do not want to be under his rule anymore. A significant amount of the conflict is taking place in Aleppo and the war is believed to have been triggered back in 2011 because local people protested about 15 school children arrested and tortured for writing propaganda anti- government statements on a wall. This led to protest to free these children, democracy and greater freedom for the people of Syria. Initially this protest was peaceful but the government reacted angrily and on the 18th March 2011, the army opened fire killing four protesters. This was followed by the shooting of mourners at the victims funerals killing more people. This led to anger, upset and unrest and spread throughout the country. Protesters wanted Bashar al- Assad to step down due to the violence of the army but he has refused to, further enraging protesters.
What has complicated the Syrian conflict even more is the rise of the IS state in neighboring country Iraq. IS have been taking over a vast amount of the country since 2014 and are using violence against anyone who doesn't agree with their extreme views and acts of terror. Acknowledging how weak Syria has become, they have used this to their advantage and occupy parts of East Syria where they have acquired land and power. This means that Bashar al - Assad has to deal with different groups of Syrian rebels and the IS state also.
Since 2014, other countries outside of Asia such as the UK and USA have joined forces to attack IS fighters in Syria and Iraq known as air-strikes. In early December 2015, MP's voted in favour of military action in Syria against IS. These air-strikes have meant several people have had to abandon their homes to find somewhere safer to leave resulting in a refugee crisis. Lots of children can no longer go to school due to schools being destroyed or their teachers fleeing. Some families have decided to flee to Jordan or Turkey and others who don't even feel safe there and seek a better life, try to flee to Europe. This journey is incredibly dangerous and some countries such as Germany willingly accept refugees and allow them to start a new life. Some countries have been less willing to accept refugees due to their already existing economic problems. From learning about the crisis, personally I feel shame and confusion towards people who believe that these people are coming to 'steal jobs.' The air-strikes from both the USA and UK play a role in why Syria is an unsafe place to live. They are a reason as to why they have to flee. These refugees are left with nothing and yes, perhaps getting a job further a long the line might mean a native to the country will 'lose out', but if a refugee was more suited for the job, what's the big deal? These people who are fleeing are medical workers, teachers, engineers etc. Professions where these workers are in high demand.
Getting aid to Syria is difficult and also very dangerous. In September this year, lorries full of aid were hit resulting in the UN announcing that it will stop providing physical aid such as blankets, food etc. The weapons that have been used is also a popular topic that has been up for dispute. Internationally, there is a ban which stops chemical weapons being used in warfare for obvious reasons. However, it has been revealed that chemical weapons have been used which has sparked anger globally, but the Syrian government has denied that it was responsible for this.
Bashar al - Assad has strong ties with the Russian government which has helped Syria before by providing weapons, but in 2013, Russia put forward the idea that the Syrian government should destroy their chemical weapons so they could never be used. This process began in October 2013 and the people working on this project later received a Nobel Peace Prize.
The war has produced organisations such as The White Helmets that help the people of Syria. The White Helmets (AKA Syria Civil Defense) are a volunteer civil defense organisation within the country not affiliated to the government which operates in rebel-controlled parts of Syria. The White Helmets goal is to save people in the shortest time possible and to try prevent further injury and to protect property. The organisation also aims to search and rescue civilians and evacuate them from dangerous areas. There is a great short film on Netflix called The White Helmets, which I recommend watching that gives great insight to the strain of the war and these brave and heroic people.
My heart yearns for Syria and I hope this conflict stops soon. Below I have posted links to Amnesty International, Youtube Videos explaining the conflict and articles on the organisations that need our help and what we can do to help. You can give a one off donation or donate monthly to Syria via the Amnesty International website. Dig deep if you can, but even £1 can make a difference. Start a charitable event, support the charities, support the Civilians, support the White Helmets. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post, feel free to comment if you disagree or feel like I have missed out information or not explained things properly xx
Amnesty International Make A Donation -
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/giving/donate/give-monthly
Amnesty International Info About Syria Website -
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Syria?gclid=Cj0KEQiAyuPCBRCimuayhb3qqvwBEiQAgz62kfco-13chhdMpP1ibBm_zME4jtVU2zbY7ZW8jqoecYUaAkuf8P8HAQ
Aleppo Is A Place Where Children Have Stopped Crying Video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nes62FA6AQ
European Syrian Refugee Crisis Explained -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOnXh3NN9w
The War In Syria Explained in 5 Minutes -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5H5w3_QTG0
16 Organisations That Need Our Help -
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/aleppo-evacuation-syria-war-crisis-help-aid-organisations-donations-red-cross-white-helmets-pro-a7484181.html
Real Things We Can Do To Help Syria -
http://www.upworthy.com/7-real-things-you-can-do-right-now-about-the-catastrophe-in-aleppo
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