To wonder how all the people wearing the French flag on FB feel now they've bombed Syria?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

So..."everyone" popped a French flag on their FB profile in sympathy with Paris.

Now France has shot over there and dropped 20 bombs on ISIS HQ and training centre.

So...people are happily condoning war really.

Why not all change profile pics to a peace sign?

I know ISIS are bad...but as we all say, violence solves nothing. Nothing.

Yabu.

As others have said Isis can't be reasoned with around a table, having a tri colour on your FB picture doesn't mean automatically you agree with attacks on Syria.

Well, since you ask, my first response is BON!

Oh god isn't the internet just tiresome at times? Why is there always some attention seeking contrary little plonker always trying to find a way to criticise a mass movement? "Oh let's think of a way to pull up the FB profile flaggers for their blatant band wagon jumping and sheep mentality. Oh I know, let's bring up something old and CHALLeNGE them to agree they are trigger happy warlords who love bombing. Every time you change your profile picture a Syrian baby dies :( don't you know. I bet you were delighted when you thought up this challenge OP. You really showed us

I am so fed up of the constant "what aboutis" going on at the moment. So people died in Iraq. Awful. Doesn't mean you can't be upset by the French terror attack does it? Contrary, emotionally backwards plonkers.

Oh god isn't the internet just tiresome at times?

I agree. But possibly not for the same reasons you think.

You can think it for whatever reasons you like soup, I don't care whether they are the same as mine

Op YABU.

I too say "Bon". The thing you try-hard liberals don't seem to understand is that these militants are the absolute polar opposite of what our caring society stands for. That women are "equal", that we can be gay and marry.

All this pointless hand-wringing is all a bit "let's hit them hard, we'll start with a leaflet campaign...".

It s also utterly understandable that you might feel extra affinity for people in your neighbouring country....you're more likely to know France and have French friends than you are people in Beirut.

Just to echo what agent said that 'these men don't want to talk'.

It's right, don't know who else saw 'my son, the jihadist' the other week and the isis video footage? They're out of control, no fear of death, it's one big celebration of violence, crime and brotherhood to them. We won't be able to get them around a table to talk.

Plus re the flag thing....what should I practically do? Abandon job and kids to go and .... Do what? All most people can do is donate....most people I know have, whether clothes or money . So please forgive us poor flag waving sheep.

I am so fed up of the constant "what aboutis" going on at the moment. So people died in Iraq. Awful. Doesn't mean you can't be upset by the French terror attack does it? Contrary, emotionally backwards plonkers.

Nicely said. So fed up with the "what aboutis".

I'm not sure what you mean op.

If you are insinuating that France is 'just as bad as the terrorists' I think you are very wrong. (Nuts)

Well I did try a strongly worded letter to some newspapers in Syria but that didn't work. Then I threatened to tell their mummies on them but they didn't listen to that either. I thought a nice bake sale to raise awareness that what they did isn't very nice might work.

Or alternatively we bomb their supply routes, training centres, meeting places. Because they have to be stopped.

On the migration issue, we need to remove the push making people flee their countries. One of the things pushing people is daesh so we need to remove them.

So whilst I do feel immense sympathy for civilians trapped in the region this is a necessary action as far as I can see.

I feel that my values do not match those of child kidnapping, innocent people murdering, sex slave masters who have no other purpose for being at the moment other than causing the end to my way of life. I would be happy to defend my way of life in the face of that and I support military intervention in Syria. However Europe and the US are going to have to pick local Syrians to support on the ground because as we have seen sending land troops in only makes the situation much worse. I think we are soon going to have to wonder how ISIL is being funded and supported though. How could an organisation that large survive in a war zone without trade occurring.

Some Jihadi fighters were bombed. Fighters who willingly signed up to the terrorist regime where the aim is to slaughter with no mercy. That's at least a few less who will plan an attack in which innocent civilians are slaughtered, some sitting in wheelchairs as the catastrophe unfolded, some only children, some muslim, jewish, christian, athiest. Their genocide is non-discriminatory.

If it reduces the chances of that happening (which it does) then I am happy to keep the French flag across my photo for the foreseeable future.

The thing is that you can't reason with people who are prepared to die in the name of their cause, for who in fact, the cause is death.

How do you propose to have talks with an organisation for whom the law is "live according to our rule or die in a brutal manner." Where is the middle ground when it comes to those kinds of talks? "ah yes mr isis, we as the British government will re-introduce the death penalty for alcohol use/theft/adultery and will thus declare Britain part of the caliphate state, if only you will please not kill yourselves on our rail networks, our football stadiums, our bars and restaurants."

How far are those calling for reasoned discussion and intervention prepared to compromise just so that violence can be avoided? Which of your freedoms are you prepared to give up in order that we not become targets?

I think sometimes war is necessary. I didn't support Iraq, but I support action against ISIS.

I didn't change my profile picture because it makes me feel...uncomfortable.

It's a terrible thing that happened in Paris and it's not that I don't feel sympathetic. But I haven't changed my profile picture to a Syrian flag in respect/support of the 200k Syrians that have been killed in this war. Nor have I changed it to a Nigerian flag after the recent attacks and killings by ISIS there which left about the same number of people dead. Nor has anyone else.

I don't particularly feel any greater affinity to the French than I do to Syrians or Nigerians. They're all foreigners to us here in GB. They're all human, they're all dying and leaving families behind.

It makes me sad that 100 people die in a white European City after a terror attack and people go on as if it's the next holocaust, yet are happily ignoring the hundred of thousands of non-Europeans that have been murdered by ISIS. 'Only' 132 people dead in one day in Syria would probably be counted as a 'good day'. Where are your Syrian flags, facebook people?

You are saying you think thw French should cease their airstrikes on ISIS because of the terrorist attacks?! Then they (Isis) have won

Isis go around blowing themselves up and see themselves as righteous martyrs. They aren't going to surrender if some are killed in air strikes. And more people will be radicalised. Not sure what the answer is but don't think bombs are it.

OP if you can't tell the difference between a simple show of solidarity to the French PEOPLE and total support for the military actions of the French government you need to go and take a loooooooong look at yourself

Do make sure you don't over polish that 'I'm oh so superior' medal now

There is a time and a place for 'ah buts'.this weekend wasn't it

This is why I think people like you are being deliberately difficult summer nights. Isn't its obvious why no one changed their profile picture to a Syrian or Nigerian flag?

Because the whole concept of changing your PP to a flag didn't exist until Saturday morning and FB will change it to a tricolour for you. That's why.

You really didn't know that?

I feel sympathy for France. I feel no differently. I don't need a peace sign- that is taken as read.

I haven't put a flag on my profile only because I feel that there is so much horror in the world right now I don't want to single out one particular incident over another. It doesn't mean I don't feel for the French people.

IMHO what happened in Paris was an act of war and should be treated as such with a military response. Same for the Russian plane (and I didn't see anyone being encouraged to decorate their facebook profile with a Russian flag).

Paris being described as a 'white European city' is pretty hmmm. Paris is EXTREMELY multicultural. Not that it matters, as long as it fits with your 'well, you don't care about brown people' trope, eh? Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story and all that