Today head of @SyriaCivilDef @RaedAlSaleh3 told a cross party group of UK MPs that “For 9 years the international community has made statements and called for ceasefires. The situation has only gotten worse. It is time to try something new”. 
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “The crisis in #Idlib cannot be described in numbers or words. It is much bigger than anything we have seen before. How can I explain 1 million people forced from their homes, 70% of them children?”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “The @UN has failed in Syria in every way. Russia is killing us with warplanes but the UN needs Russian approval to send aid”
@RaedAlSaleh3 “Russian disinformation slanders hurt our volunteers. One volunteer who appeared in one of the disinformation attacks phoned me, crying - asking ‘why are they talking about me?’ He was heartbroken. He was later killed by a direct attack.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3 also spoke to a packed public at @SOAS, organised by the Syrian British Council @BritishSyrian.
“In 2014, the UN stopped counting the dead in Syria. We understand that to the international community, these numbers mean nothing.”
“In 2014, the UN stopped counting the dead in Syria. We understand that to the international community, these numbers mean nothing.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “In the last 60 days, 1 milllion people have been forcibly displaced. The UN will give you the number, but it doesn’t explain why these people have been displaced. These people were forced to flee because 72 hospitals were destroyed.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “There are 3.5 million civilians in Idlib. Only 30% can access healthcare facilities. 200,000+ live in the open with nothing to protect them. People are sheltering in any building they can find. Even in places made for animals. 30 people in a tent.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “I remember being in London in 2016 for a donor conference. All the world leaders were there, including Ban Ki Moon. I told them - all the decision makers are here, with all the tools to stop the suffering in Syria - if they have the will.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “However I was convinced the will to act wasn’t there. I told them - you can fundraise all the money. You can buy ambulances or fire engines. But all of the money you can give will not save one child from dying from barrel bombs”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “4 years later, I have spoken with the British government and reminded them of these words. If we had taken the decision to save the Syrian people then, we would not have seen the suffering since then.”
.@RaedAlSaleh3: “There are many reasons to punish the war criminals in Syria. Unfortunately Russia has a veto at the UNSC. We have the largest amount of evidence of the regime crimes. But there is still no mechanism to prosecute.”
We were glad to see Afraa @3fra2_hashem who featured in the film @forsamafilm at the event. "The White Helmets were there to help. We have seen all the evidence of what is happening, all the documentation. What more does the world need?”
.@IbrahimOlabi made a plea to the audience.“We need everyone to help. Raed came from Syria to tell their stories and find allies. Please take action, no matter how small, to help those fighting for freedom and dignity”
