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There was a Syrian pro government rally in the CBD today, and of course I just had to be there. I felt a little uncomfortable with some of the sentiments demonstrated by some of the participants, but then, I can't say I understand the issues as a Syrian might. It's great to see our wonderful country allow everyone to voice their concerns and it was also good to see the police keep a low profile, but be sure, they were there.









Note the irony in this image

some nice images there matt. ignorant supporters of a mass murdering lunatic enjoying the sunshine and freedoms that this great big piece of dirt has to offer.
what a crazy old world we live in eh ?

Matt,

Great reportage here. What was written on the mortar board holding the shoe?

And yes, the irony in the last of these: well spotted; well shot.

Great journalistic shots. I think you did well to
document the general mood of the demonstrators.

I must admit that I am baffled by the situation in
Syria. We know who is the government is, but who
are the rebels? What do they want and is it so
important that is worth destroying a nation? Who is
financing this civil war?

It is a shame to see such a beautiful country, the
birthplace of western civilization being destroyed
in this way and witness the suffering of some many
innocent people, what is it for?

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

As heinous as the alleged chemical weapon horror, sending missiles, drones, bombers etc will only kill more civilians.

What lessons have we learned Mr Obama?

None apparently!

Collateral damage Trevor and why in the name of hell should the world look on whilst children are gassed and not do a damn thing. Remember Pol Pot, Idi Amin and many other dictators that we allowed to kill their own people without lifting a finger.

My only regret is that in this modern day and age we have to broadcast our intentions. Did the Japanese let the Americans know that Pearl Harbour was going to be attacked, did Osama Bin Laden let the Americans know about 9/11, did the Germans let the Poles know about going to war etc., etc. The simple answer is no.

Now to Matt’s photos. They are very good journalism but as to the purpose of the demonstration I object to so called Australians marching in defence of a dictatorship and it also makes you wonder why they are here. . .

Gary
The writing says..."Every Syrian boot is worth a traitors head". It is heart breaking to see cities pulverised in the name of????What? sectarianism? Religion? Power? Wealth? It does not bode well for the future of mankind.

sirhc55 wrote:Collateral damage Trevor and why in the name of hell should the world look on whilst children are gassed and not do a damn thing. Remember Pol Pot, Idi Amin and many other dictators that we allowed to kill their own people without lifting a finger.

My only regret is that in this modern day and age we have to broadcast our intentions. Did the Japanese let the Americans know that Pearl Harbour was going to be attacked, did Osama Bin Laden let the Americans know about 9/11, did the Germans let the Poles know about going to war etc., etc. The simple answer is no.

Now to Matt’s photos. They are very good journalism but as to the purpose of the demonstration I object to so called Australians marching in defence of a dictatorship and it also makes you wonder why they are here. . .

Agree with the sentiment, unfortunately the lack of consistency in its application clouds the nobility of the intent. And again, while I completely respect people's right to protest, I too am frustrated that in this country there are those who would seek to justify this despicable regime.

Ultimately the problem for not only Obama but also the civilized world is what would an attack achieve exactly ? Given the Muslim brotherhood and al Qaeda are certainly involved in the rebellion, what evil are we picking here ? Remove basheer for what ? sounding like another destabilized vacuum like libya and egypt. There is much at play behind the scenes and many believe Iran is central to the strategic responses from both sides.

I didn't acknowledge the pix from Matt, which are very good.

And also, I echo Chris's words that in this country people can still voice protests.

The regime needs to be punished, but my hope is that it can be done without more innocent men, women and children being harmed.

The last image is very nicely done Matt.

Don't want to hijack this thread with politics, but here is a piece that tries to outline the issues in Syria. This is why I am against retaliation for the horrific chemical weapons attack - it won't make any difference and it will cause the death of more innocents.

As unpalatable as it may seem I think the West has to sit on its hands and wait for the situation to play itself out. It will probably take years.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/world ... ed-to-ask/

Matt that first image is very interesting, with the close cropping one has no context of where it could be taken, it could be anywhere in the world. I am genuinely surprised by how many protests you find in the city, either you are constantly on the prowl or offer a "rent a photographer for your next protest" service. Either way there is an exhibition or book in your collection of protest pics, something like "A year of freedom in Australia". I genuinely doubt most people would realise these smaller protests happen, unless it appears in the paper or TV these are almost invisible, probably even to the targets of their frustration.