Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around!

[noblegiraffe]

"Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around!" was being chanted on the streets of London yesterday and last week.

I'm just interested in whether people think this is a reasonable thing to be chanting or not, because there were quite a few people chanting it. So a quick poll:

It must also be inconvenient to the Houthi flag wavers that the Houthi flag has DEATH TO ISRAEL and A CURSE UPON JEWS plastered on it.

Here's the Houthi flag. The bit about DEATH TO ISRAEL and A CURSE UPON JEWS is helpfully in red. The red bit also says DEATH TO AMERICA.

Any comment, @inkworks273 ?

I don't think the ones singing the song and banging the Houthis are 'good guys drum' have really thought it through.

It feels like a social media bandwagon reaction rather than actually looking at who the Houthis are, what they have done to their own people and taking hostages from captured ships, and what they stand for. Perhaps just lacking knowledge? Israel hating? Hating the west? A combination of all maybe 🤔

I don’t think anyone is disputing that they’ve fired on non-Israeli ships, or that they are funded by Iran.

Once you have committed to carrying out an act of terror to convince the international community to put pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire, obviously you attack international shipping. Just attacking Israeli shipping wouldn’t work, Israel isn’t going to back down. You disrupt the entire shipppng lane, and that causes enough economic disruption that other countries pressure Israel.

I do not support that action, but the rationale makes perfect sense. Sinking the odd Israeli vessel would have been completely ignored, whereas disrupting international shipping has everyone sitting up and taking notice. Again, I am not in favour of it, but in terms of achieving their goals, it is obvious why they are attacking non-Israeli ships.

I don’t think anyone is disputing that they’ve fired on non-Israeli ships

They did, have you read the thread?

Once you have committed to carrying out an act of terror to convince the international community to put pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire, obviously you attack international shipping.

Or, and hear me out, if your intention is to stir up anti-western shit because your flag says DEATH TO AMERICA, obviously you attack international shipping.

Is it also obvious why they are taking hostages, people from a range of nationalities? Details posted upthread by another person.

Iran backed and supplied with weapons just like Hamas. Blurred lines.

Well yes, which is presumably why they are acting in support of Hamas. I don’t think it is purely out of a sense of moral indignation.

To be clear, I’m disagreeing with the people saying the Houthi action has nothing to do with Gaza, they are just Evil Terrorists Who Enjoy Indiscriminate Violence For No Reason.

I’m saying it almost certainly is to do with Gaza. And sorting out Gaza would probably stop it, though fuck knows how you do that at this stage. That’s not the same as supporting Houthis, or Hamas.

To be clear, I’m disagreeing with the people saying the Houthi action has nothing to do with Gaza, they are just Evil Terrorists Who Enjoy Indiscriminate Violence For No Reason.

Who is saying that Houthis are indiscriminately attacking international shipping for no reason? Or is that a strawman?

I’m saying it almost certainly is to do with Gaza.

I think you'll find that it's more likely to do with Israel and the West. Because the Houthis helpfully have DEATH TO ISRAEL and A CURSE UPON JEWS and DEATH TO AMERICA on their flag, you know.

That last quote perfectly sums up so many arguments..

To be clear, I’m disagreeing with the people saying the Houthi action has nothing to do with Gaza, they are just Evil Terrorists Who Enjoy Indiscriminate Violence For No Reason.

Hang on, let me try and unpack this. So are you saying they aren’t terrorists, or are you saying it’s ok if they are because they are noble terrorists?

I’ve been saying this all
along.

it’s a development of the bad boy fantasy.

utter madness.

Iran is stirring up hatred and aiming to encircle and strangle Israel, which is by all measures, the freest, wealthiest democratic state in the region. Israel is the thorn a powerful Islamist regime with nuclear capacity wishes to eliminate -- by any means possible. The timing of the Hamas massacre of Israelis was to coincide with the rapprochement between Israel and the KSA, and the beginning of formal diplomatic relations.

Ask yourselves, Houthi and Hamas apologists, why are NONE of the Gulf states (except Qatar, which limits its hospitality to the biggest cheeses) offering sanctuary to their co-religionists?

Neither. I’m saying they are terrorists, but this particular terrorist action was prompted by what is going on in Gaza. Not just for the fun of it.

So it’s justified then? According to you?

No. I’m not sure how clearer I can be about that.

So, not justified.

Are you going to condemn what they are doing if it’s not justified?

Yep, sure. Happy to condemn it.

But they aren’t
just Evil Terrorists Who Enjoy Indiscriminate Violence For No Reason

and you understand that “prompted” them?

They have a reason, so that makes them not so Evil Terrorists Who Enjoy Indiscriminate Violence For No Reason?

@Saschka Sorry wasn't clear to me either

I think it was your use of "...but".

Why are you so reluctant to specify exactly what the problem is that’s going on in Gaza that has prompted Houthi action?

It’s not the plight of the poor Palestinians is it? The Houthis don’t give a shit about the victims of war or famine in their own country so they certainly wouldn’t give a shit about those in other countries.

It’s because Hamas are being attacked by Israel. It is Israel and the West that the Houthis have a problem with. Hence they are attacking Western ships.

Yeah, but no, but…

The majority of the states in the ME are Western backed ones that have had leaders literally put in place by said Western nations in many instances. It's not some mystery here.