Dear User,
I'm
Salma, head of one of the 85 Syrian groups who've signed this message
to you.
Representing 17,000
Syrians - many who've taken serious risks to be part of this statement
-
this is what we want
to say about how to stop the violence and groups like ISIS. Please
take 3 minutes to read it:
"To
those around the world who want peace and justice,
We
are Syrian non-violent activists and we need your solidarity. The
extremism that is growing in your cities is rooted in our conflict. We
Syrians are its first victims.
This extremism breeds on injustice and violence. It grows from the
rubble of our ravaged towns and cities, and will only continue to
expand unless we act together. To stop the extremism we
have to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Stopping the violence requires two steps which we cannot achieve alone:
(1) an end to the Assad regime's barrel bombs and air strikes
and (2) negotiations between all Syrian groups and their
international backers.
We
cannot achieve these alone because Syrians are not in full control.
Our struggle that started four years ago as an attempt to
establish democracy after four decades of authoritarian rule
has now become the world’s war. It’s been turned by the Assad
regime into a bloody conflict that has forced half of Syria's
families from their homes and killed more than 200,000 of our people.
There are now more than 87 countries involved in the killing on all
sides. That is why we need friends around the world to stand
with us to stop the violence and extremism that is spiralling out of
control and spilling into cities around the world.
To
do that we need the barrel bombs to stop - even if it takes a ‘no fly
zone’ - and meaningful peace talks. They need to happen together.
A
year ago the UN Security Council unanimously demanded that the regime
stop dropping barrel bombs on the civilian population. These are often
old oil barrels packed with rusty scrap metal and explosive and rolled
out of helicopters and planes four kilometers up in the sky. They
accelerate down on markets, hospitals and schools shattering
communities who want no part in the violence. They do not hit
military targets, they have no role in the balance of the fighting.
They simply terrorise the civilian population.
Barrel bombs have increased since the Security Council demanded they
stop. With every home they destroy, more people are radicalised,
turning their backs on more moderate paths towards justice. Unless
we stop these bombs, there will be no faith in the demands of the
international community. We cannot expect an internationally-backed
political process to work when founded on broken promises.
And
negotiations is what we need. There is no military solution to the
conflict nor to the radicalisation that is born from it. We need
real peace talks to include all Syrian parties with the strong support
of the international community.
No
one side can unite Syria. It will require compromises from everyone
involved and new leaders to build the future. Slowly, with the
support of our real allies, we hope to reconnect with the tolerance
and coexistence we have known for millennia and build a Syria better
than before.
Stand with us to build peace in Syria. It is your peace too."
Please join us at
www.planetsyria.org and
together let’s stop the violence and extremism.
In
solidarity,
Salma
Earth: This is Planet Syria. Send us a signal.
Our
peaceful uprising has been violently crushed and now we face threats
not only from the regime but also from extremists, including Isis. We
feel isolated from the world as if we are on a different planet. On
24th March 2015 we sent out a message to the world that we need
solidarity to stop the regime’s ‘barrel bombs’ - with a no-fly zone if
necessary - and real peace talks. Some
of us risked our lives to get this message through and we want to see
if it’s working. On
7th April 2015 (next
Tuesday),
we want to hear from all those around the world who care about peace
and justice that Planet Syria is not alone. Are you out there?
SEND US A SIGNAL.
Here’s what we need you to do:
1) Find friends - one at least
2) Find a space, outside is better (If possible, find a place that
represents your town or city- a monument, famous site…)
3) Send your signal to Planet Syria - try not to use paper
(Think writing in the sand, using sparklers, balloons, a wall… get
creative!:)
4) Send a picture or video of your message
The
event page for the day of action is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1421058744861781/
You can write something, you can mime something, you
can sing something, you can paint something, you can say something.
Get creative. But most importantly, tell us you’re out there.
Please share anything you do to facebook.com/planetsyria2015 or
email to info@planetsyria.org.
With love,
#planetsyria
PS - Here's a message from Atareb in Syria - they're
counting on your support!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg12y-jZssw
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