When is a terrorist a rebel ?

Whoever and whenever the US and Uk decide. They did label the ANC terrorists for fighting for equality against a brutal racists government that killed, maimed and disappeared thousands. And impoverished millions. Then just before RSA got its freedom them switched sides and now keep banging on about how they helped it. So whoever you are wondering about, pick yourself the latest us foreign policy summary or brief on them

But they are rebels. They are lterally rebelling against the Assad regime. Its factually correct. Some of them are also designated terrorists. Some of them have links to designated terrorists. Some are not. Some don't. This is brought up constantly in all the coverage I'm watching. There is also huge popular celebration about overthrowing the horrific Assad regime and cautious optimism arising from the way the rebels have so far behaved. Many people have warned that this may change. Why is this hard?

nobody is saying that. Poster, Myself included, is saying actually the opposite. Nobody should support a terrorist group. Even if they get rid of a dictatorship. We are calling out the hypocrisy of the media calling some rebels and others terrorists when both groups are the same

Apologies I haven't RTFT, but I read this very apt paragraph somewhere online, which was so pithy I noted it down:

"Freedom fighters are people in countries you've heard of fighting for causes you agree with.
Terrorists are people in countries you've heard of fighting for causes you disagree with.
Guerillas are people in countries you've never heard of fighting for causes you don't understand."

When a country has free and fair elections that all citizens can vote in, then people undermining that are terrorists.

When the country is a dictatorship, then undermining that is rebellion.

What will replace it may well be equally brutal, but it will have as much legitimacy as the previous regime.

Until there’s democracy, at which point it will be more legitimate.

It’s not an area I know a lot about, though.

Its all really sad and miserable but tbh I think when it comes to Syria's political parties, there are no "heroes" - either brutal Assad or equally brutal Islamist opposition. However, in this situation I think describing the opposition as "rebels" is the right thing - they rebel against the government with the aim to overthrow it. They are also "terrorists" when they carry out terrorist acts, the Assad government can also be described as "terrorists" (and they are fucking horrible).

I honestly feel so sad for ordinary Syrians. All they want, no doubt, is to live their life as normal, but their country is completely fucked, no matter who's going to be in charge.

I think many of us celebrated with the Lebanese people & tbe Israeli people at the ceasefire agreement i didn't celebrate with Hezbollah & their supporters but I hope a ceasefire will result in people turning away from Hezbollah.

Any victory in a war comes at a huge price. You can still be unequivocal about one side being better than the other.

I don't do gotcha. I do counter argument. I don't support any designated terrorist organisations which include Hezbollah, Hamas, AL Qaeda and Islamist state.
Imagine if I had posted that I was celebrating with the Lebanese people at the ceasefire announcement. What would you have said?
I don't like double standards.

I thought the argument was that not all Gazans supported hamas but there was a certain degree of fear of someone who would kill you if you looked at them in a funny way.

I imagine many Syrians don't know the nature of their new 'leaders', but they're armed and dangerous (as was Assad's regime).

I didn't say it could be different. I am immensely proud of what the Resistants achieved but, as my aunt said, it came at a huge price.

The people saying, ' you see its ok for us to support Hamas and Hezbollah because of what is happening in Syria' is not the gotcha you think it is.

No, Im celebrating with the Syrian people who have been released from a brutal dictatorship.

You are celebrating with members of Al Qaeda. the Islamist state and their affiliates? If so you shouldn't object when Lebanese people celebrate with Hezbollah or Gazans with Hamas.

This. But we are very blind to what is happening as maybe the west can’t really comprehend the real consequences or maybe women’s lives are not worth it.

I am heart broken for the women in Afghanistan - they will literally have no health care. They are going to die.

Yet for some reason we turn a blind eye to it.

I'm very sorry your family went through that horrific experience. I just don't understand why you think resistance could ever be any different. There does seem to be a sense on these threads that there is some sort of perfect war. War is hell. It puts intolerable strain on the people involved where individual people have to make dreadful choices in what you might call the grey areas and political & military leaders have to sacrifice people and what you might call moral norms for the greater good or the overall strategic objective . That doesn't alter the fact that resistance to the Nazis is about as just a cause as you could find.

Good grief, try reading before responding.

This is what I quoted and agreed with "Yes, we should celebrate those who risked their lives to resist the Nazi occupation of France. I never thought I would have to actually say this.".

What on earth are you on about. The people resisting the Nazi in France were never terrorists or described as such.

Sometimes posters on this thread need to read what is being quoted and agreed with!

I am French and my family was directly impacted by the Nazi occupation. My parents grew up under that regime. My grandfather was arrested by the Gestapo. my great uncle was sent to a forced labour camp and my great aunt was tortured and sent to Auschwitz. She always said that, whilst resisting was necessary, it involved putting her loved ones, her neighbours, her friends and so on at a huge risk of death and she felt immense guilt at hearing the terrible reprisals from the Germans on the population after a successful operation.
She recognized that it wasn't black and white as she told me numerous times.
I trust her judgement more than anyone on this thread.
She was 18 when she became part of the resistance.

No room for equivocation on Hamas. Definitely terrorists.

With these threads and posts I'm wondering if pp think it's not the case

I am a freedom fighter

You are a rebel

They are terrorists

I think relief Assad is gone but concern for what's coming next is what I'm seeing from the coverage and interviews with Syrians. I hope whatever happens will bring peace and security and no further death torture oppression.

Very cautious reactions from worldwide leaders with Russia predicting a brutal civil war.

www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/world-reaction-end-assad-rule-syria-2024-12-08/

The ‘rebels’ HTS are Al - Qaeda and the vast majority of Syrians are Sunni.
Syria will be another Islamic state country that strips women of all their rights, forces them into burka and subjugates them to the status of men’s ’pets’ to be treated like animals at the whim of men all in the name of the delightful religion that no one must ever criticize as that’s Islamophobic.

You can do what you like.

Would this apply as well to other citizens? Can I listen to Gazans and celebrate with those that cheered hamas? Or is that not the same?

ps. No I’m not celebrating hamas. However, I like the OP, are wondering why we celebrate terrorism in one way when we shouldn’t

Well I will listen to the Syrian people and celebrate with them.