Watch the full 'How Can the Syrian Revolution Revolution Win?' (Sunday 23rd September, 7pm, British Muslim Heritage Centre, Manchester) meeting at the following links:
Part 1 (inc. contribution from Dr Ammar Darwish) Part 2 (inc. contribution from Simon Assaf) Part 3
The meeting was hosted by RAPAR in conjunction with the Manchester Syrian Community, and was held at the Muslim Heritage Centre in Whalley Range.
After thirty years Manchester-based doctor Dr Ammar Darwish has been able to return to his homeland in Syria. He visited field hospitals and saw for himself the acute lack of medical supplies. A trainee doctor in Syria told him, "We receive up to 100 injured people a day. We have just three days left of medical supplies. And we do not know where the more will come from.'
'The regime does not discriminate: they kill women, children, civilians and fighters. ... They are a like a Mafia.'
'What we are seeing in Syria is the people rising against the regime. The opposition is made up of Alawi, Sunni, Shia, all religions are against the regime. This is a fight for freedom.'
Simon Assaf, originally from the Lebanon, speaks and writes extensively on the Arab Spring. He is part of the Middle East and North African (MENA) Solidarity Network. 'All of the good people in the world support the Syrian People. It is a real uprising. 'We have to be against despair. The darkest moment is before the dawn. 80% of the country is now under the revolutionaries' hands. I think a victory is coming'
*** Watch the 'How Can the Syrian Revolution Win?' meeting streamed live, Sunday 23rd September 2012 from 7pm. Click here (will only be active while meeting is in progress). This live stream will be a first for RAPAR so please bear with us. All should be well but if there are any technical hitches we will endeavour to resolve them swiftly.***