I came home from a day out in Paris last
night. Throughout the day people shared their empathy and sadness for what
happened.
night. Throughout the day people shared their empathy and sadness for what
happened.
On our way home we found a number of police
cars and men in full combat gear blocking off a street near our apartment, so
when we got home I looked online to see if there had been another shooting.
cars and men in full combat gear blocking off a street near our apartment, so
when we got home I looked online to see if there had been another shooting.
There hadn’t been.
But.
What I did find was that France had
announced (LESS THAN 48 HOURS after the attacks) that they’ve launched their first air strikes in Syria (allegedly to ‘protect’ France and Syrian
civilians).
announced (LESS THAN 48 HOURS after the attacks) that they’ve launched their first air strikes in Syria (allegedly to ‘protect’ France and Syrian
civilians).
My stomach dropped and anger rose.
It is important to understand that
throughout this experience anger has not been a part of my emotions, nor the
emotions of both strangers and friends I’ve encountered since the event. No one I spoke
to this weekend had any angry words towards Syria, any other country. They talked about the problem our western world has created and how we need to find a more loving way to solve it. But they didn’t speak positively of war.
Those who were killed in this horrific event lived in a neighbourhood of educated forward
thinkers with peace and empathy on their minds, not war.
throughout this experience anger has not been a part of my emotions, nor the
emotions of both strangers and friends I’ve encountered since the event. No one I spoke
to this weekend had any angry words towards Syria, any other country. They talked about the problem our western world has created and how we need to find a more loving way to solve it. But they didn’t speak positively of war.
Those who were killed in this horrific event lived in a neighbourhood of educated forward
thinkers with peace and empathy on their minds, not war.
Using this event as an excuse for further
violence is deplorable.
violence is deplorable.
This is France’s first strike on
Syria. In his speech announcing the air strikes, Francois Hollande admitted
that on November 7th (less than a week before the shootings in
Paris) the French government did a reconnaissance mission to stake out their
target. Which is a weird thing to do nearly a year after the Charlie Hebdo
attack (if he could turn around strikes on Syria in less than 48 hours after an
attack, he certainty could have done so in January when the original attacks on
the city took place … if he was so worried about the safety of his people and
Syrian civilians).
Syria. In his speech announcing the air strikes, Francois Hollande admitted
that on November 7th (less than a week before the shootings in
Paris) the French government did a reconnaissance mission to stake out their
target. Which is a weird thing to do nearly a year after the Charlie Hebdo
attack (if he could turn around strikes on Syria in less than 48 hours after an
attack, he certainty could have done so in January when the original attacks on
the city took place … if he was so worried about the safety of his people and
Syrian civilians).
Coincidently U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry is trying to launch a new initiative for a political solution in Syria
during meetings in New York this week.
Kerry is trying to launch a new initiative for a political solution in Syria
during meetings in New York this week.
This retaliation has nothing to do with humanitarian hopes nor the development of democracy, at best it is a wrath filled retaliation no better, nor worse than the atrocities that happened here … either way it is drenched in the $c€nt of a little $om€thing called oil.
As of yet, there have been zero Parisians rallying in
response to the terror reaped on their own land, but I suspect, in the next
week, you’ll see a response to Francois Hollande’s sneaky decisions and quick
actions, as he deepens his involvement with the dark powers who sneak around behind the
guise of war.
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