BBC Censors Video Showing Syrian Rebels Forcing Prisoner to Become Suicide Bomber [video included]
Broadcaster attempts to hide clear evidence of war crimes
by Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The BBC has sensationally censored a news story and a video showing Syrian rebels forcing a prisoner to become a suicide bomber, a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, presumably because it reflected badly on establishment media efforts to portray the FSA as glorious freedom fighters.
The video, a copy of which can be viewed above (the original BBC version was deleted), shows Free Syrian Army rebels preparing a bomb that is loaded onto the back of a truck to be detonated at a government checkpoint in the city of Aleppo.
The clip explains how the rebels have commandeered an apartment belonging to a Syrian police captain. The rebels are seen sneering at photos of the police captain’s family while they proclaim, “Look at their freedom, look how good it is,” while hypocritically enjoying the luxury of the man’s swimming pool.
The video then shows a prisoner who the rebels claim belonged to a pro-government militia. Bruises from torture on the prisoner’s body are explained away as having been metered out by the man’s previous captors. The BBC commentary emphasizes how well the rebels are treating the man, showing them handing him a cigarette.
However, the man has been tricked into thinking he is part of a prisoner exchange program when in reality he is being set up as an unwitting suicide bomber. The prisoner is blindfolded and told to drive the truck towards a government checkpoint.
“What he doesn’t know is that the truck is the one that’s been rigged with a 300 kilo bomb,” states the narrator.
The clip then shows rebels returning disappointed after it’s revealed that the remote detonator failed and the bomb did not explode.
The BBC narrator admits that forcing prisoners to become suicide bombers “would certainly be considered a war crime.”
New York Times reporters who shot the video claim they had no knowledge of the plot. A longer version of the clip is posted on the New York Times You Tube channel. The title of the clip glorifies the rebel fighters as “The Lions of Tawhid”.
Within hours of the story being published, it was subsequently sent down the memory by the BBC. Attempts to reach the original article URL are greeted with a 404 Not Found page.
In addition, a You Tube version of the same video originally posted on the official BBC News 2012 channel was also removed. Although the You Tube page for the video states that it was removed after a “copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation” this is a bogus reason, because the video was not uploaded by a third party, it was posted on the official BBC channel, as the screenshot below proves.
“Copyright claim” is a bogus reason for the video’s removal because it originally appeared on the official BBC News Channel, and was not uploaded by a third party.
It seems clear that the only reason for the video to be removed would be because senior BBC news editors felt the story reflected badly on the propaganda campaign to characterize the Syrian rebels as venerable and proud freedom fighters, when in reality as we have documented they have been guilty of massacres, kidnappings, torture and other acts of brutality.
This represents a clear effort to hide evidence of Syrian rebels, who the Obama administration recently pledged to support with taxpayer dollars, engaged in war crimes.
In addition, the fact that the rebels, under the direction of Al-Qaeda fighters, are building bombs and carrying out terrorist attacks is something the NATO-aligned media is keen not to emphasize.
This is by no means the first time the BBC has been caught manipulating the news in an effort to propagandize for western military involvement in Syria.
Back in May we exposed how the BBC has used a years-old photo of dead Iraqi children to depict victims of an alleged government assault in the town of Houla.
The photographer who took the original picture, Marco Di Lauro, posted on his Facebook page, “Somebody is using my images as a propaganda against the Syrian government to prove the massacre.” Di Lauro told the London Telegraph he was “astonished” the BBC had failed to check to authenticity of the image.
Should the copy at the top of this article also be deleted, an alternate version of the BBC video with added commentary under fair use is embedded below.
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.
Libya is Broke and Broken – MB Gaining Control – Green Soldier [video]
108morris108
September 5, 2012
All the wealth of Libya has been stolen, Important people say it has gone to Israel. The Muslim Brotherhood (paid for by Qatar) now controls Egypt and Tunisia and its influence is growing in Libya.
There is more to this interview (recorded today) will put up more in the days ahead.
And btw there is excellent justification for a blurred image – retribution is visited on people’s families.
Is There Really a Difference Between Organic and Conventional Food? [video]
Natural Society
September 4, 2012
Is there really a difference between organic and conventional food? A new ‘study’ has hit the mainstream media declaring that there is not, however it is fatally flawed.
In this video, I explain how the study failed to accurately address key aspects of what makes organic food truly healthy, and how the very few aspects that they did analyze actually lean towards organic food being the clear choice.
For solid links to publications and sourcing, please checkout my full article: http://naturalsociety.com/ridiculous-study-claims-organic-same-as-conventional/
The study authors failed to identify the fact that organic food items do not contain things such as: GMOs (genetically modified organisms), artificial sweeteners, higher concentrations of bisphenol-a (BPA), cloned material (rBGH), and much more. They also fail to mention in the titles of the mainstream reports that the study actually revealed that organic food contained less pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and antibiotics.
The researchers also failed to mention that the herbicides and pesticides used in conventional food items are oftentimes much more dangerous, with Roundup in particular (the #1 herbicide in the US created by Monsanto) being linked to conditions such as infertility, DNA damage, and cancer.
There certainly is a distinct difference between organic food and conventional, and it takes a bit of digging to realize that this study ‘proving’ that there isn’t really does not examine many essential factors when reaching such an inaccurate conclusion.
Quebec election: Two shot, one killed at Pauline Marois’ PQ victory party [video included]
Police cordon off the area outside the auditorium where a gunman shot and killed at least one person during the PQ victory rally Wednesday. — THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
by Nelson Wyatt
Canadian Press
September 5, 2012
MONTREAL — Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois was abruptly dragged off stage by bodyguards midway through her victory speech Tuesday after a 62-year-old man wearing a blue robe and a balaclava allegedly opened fire into the theatre where she was speaking.
“The English are waking up,” the ranting suspect declared as police took him away.
The shooting left one victim dead and a second in critical condition. Because of the possibility that Marois herself may have been the target of the shooting, the Quebec Provincial Police have taken control of the investigation.
“What’s going on?” an obviously concerned Marois said to one of her provincial police bodyguards as he plucked her by the elbow from her moment of triumph and whisked her from the stage at her victory rally in a bubble of burly plainclothes cops.
The premier-elect cast searching glances over her shoulder as she was moved quickly away, with a climate of confusion sweeping over the room.
It was only when audience members left that they learned what had happened: the acrimony of debate in the province in the last few years had been ratcheted up another chilling notch and charged into their midst.
Nothing serious had happened, PQ spokesmen had told the rally. A noisemaker had been set off. Nothing serious. Then the tone changed. It became more urgent that people leave the room. They were urged to do so calmly.
[CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE and see the included video]
Separatists win Quebec elections
End the Lie – Independent News
September 5, 2012
Supporters of Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Pauline Marois cheer election results on September 4, 2012 in Montreal, as voters in Canada’s Quebec province cast ballots expected to bring separatists to power, amid rising frustration with the current leadership and months of student protests (AFP Photo / Rogerio Barbosa)
Separatist group, Parti Quebecois, has won Quebec’s regional elections and will form a new government there, once again raising the possibility of a referendum on independence being held in Canada’s French-speaking province.
Canadian Broadcasting Corp and the Canadian Press reported that Parti Quebecois (PQ) won or were leading in nearly 60 districts, just short of the 63 needed for a majority government.
The party’s leader, Pauline Marois, will replace head of the Liberal party, Jean Charest, as the province’s leader, becoming Quebec’s first female premier.
Crowds of jubilant PQ followers, cheered and waved flags as election results indicated their party was heading back to power after nine years of Liberal Party rule.
Should PQ win a majority it will make it easier for them to call a referendum on independence. Quebec has held two referendums in the past – one in 1980 and another in 1995- with the last narrowly rejecting independence from Canada.
However PQ claim their short-term priority would be picking the economy up off its knees, instead of pushing for a separation vote straight away.
“It’s very important for me to manage our finances responsibly. That is without doubt why our engagements are the least costly of all parties,” Pauline Marois earlier told Canadian media, while outlining a program that sets out new spending at $1 billion over a five year period.
At the same time she stated that she would hold an independence vote “tomorrow morning” if the conditions were right.
The long-ruling Liberal Party’s loss comes after months of student and union protests raging this spring and summer against tuition hikes in the province and the controversial new Bill 78, which restricts mass gatherings in the province.
Tens of thousands of students have made their outrage public by demonstrating and clashing with police, making headlines across the world. Protests began in February, resulting in about 2,500 arrests. Tuesday’s vote is seen by many as an echo of this public discontent.
UN official voices concern as Lebanon faces growing number of Syrian refugees
End the Lie – Independent News
4 September 2012 – The growing number of Syrian refugees is proving to be an increasingly heavy burden on Lebanon, a United Nations senior official said today in his meeting with the Lebanese Prime Minister, during which he also expressed concern over the security situation along Lebanon’s border with Syria.
In a press encounter following the meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Derek Plumbly, also voiced concern over the spate of violence and kidnappings which have raised fears of renewed sectarian conflict in Lebanon.
“I am very conscious of the challenges to law and order that have occurred recently here, particularly the fighting in Tripoli that led to serious loss of life and the kidnappings in Lebanon and previously in Syria,” Mr. Plumbly said.
“In that context, I would like to say that we strongly hope that all those who have been kidnapped will be released without any further delay. It is unacceptable that this situation should continue and people should be held in this way,” Mr. Plumbly continued, adding that he welcomed efforts by Lebanese authorities to address the country’s security challenges.
According to media reports, the last weeks of August witnessed fighting between supporters and opponents of the Syrian Government in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which killed more than 12 people, while tensions also increased in other parts of the country, such as the northern city of Tripoli.
Turning his attention to the escalating refugee crisis, Mr. Plumbly noted that increased UN assistance was imminent as displaced Syrians continued to flee the violence in their country and cross the border into neighbouring Lebanon.
Syria has been wracked by violence since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 18 months ago, with an estimated 18,000 people, mostly civilians, killed and hundreds of thousands others displaced.
“I expect to see a further appeal from the United Nations to donors to assist in caring for the displaced people here in Lebanon because their numbers have increased and the burden is understood,” Mr. Plumbly stated, referring to the swelling number of Syrian civilians seeking refuge in Lebanon.
In a recent news release, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed that it was seeing an increase in the number of Syrian refugees arriving in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, with local charities and authorities reporting about 2,200 people settling in the east over the past week – almost double the recent weekly average. Overall, some 51,000 Syrians have registered or applied to register with UNHCR in Lebanon.
Moreover, in addition to the continuing wave of refugees, cross border incursions and shelling have also contributed to the precarious state of security along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
“We are looking now with more urgency at what we can do to help the security authorities here in Lebanon to control the border as it should be,” he added.
Overall, UNHCR has stated that the total number of Syrians who have registered as refugees or are awaiting registration, as of 2 September, stands at 235,368 – with most of those seeking safety in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
Al Jazeera website hacked by Syria’s Assad loyalists
thestar.com
September 4, 2012
DUBAI—The website of Qatar-based satellite news network Al Jazeera was apparently hacked on Tuesday by Syrian government loyalists for what they said was the television channel’s support for the “armed terrorist groups and spreading lies and fabricated news.”
A Syrian flag and statement denouncing al Jazeera’s “positions against the Syrian people and government” were posted on the Arabic site of the channel in response to its coverage of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which began in March last year.
Al Jazeera took the lead in covering the uprisings across the Arab world, and Qatar, one of the Sunni-led states in the region, publicly backed the predominantly Sunni rebel movement in Syria against Assad’s Alawite-led government.
Opposition activists on Twitter blamed the hacking on Assad loyalists.
Jazeera officials were not immediately available for comment.
The hacking attack, claimed by a group calling itself “al-Rashedon”, is the latest in a wave of cyber attacks on news agencies and energy companies, carried out by hostile governments, militant groups or private “hacktivists” to make political points.
[CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE]
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[Potent News Editor’s note: Below is how the site looked to my cousin in Syria when this happened. Click image to enlarge.]
PN 