Horrific Child Massacre in Houla - Anyone else having nightmares after reading it???

[catfart]

Words escape me, I've read the article on the BBC website about this and now I cannot get it out of my mind. The part which hits home even more is Leana Hoseas' Analysis on it I've cut and pasted, I've been in tears the last hour. How brutal, those poor babies.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18221461

^Leana Hosea
BBC News
The "massacre" video which has emerged from Houla bears the sound of a man screaming:

"These are all children! Watch, you dogs, you Arabs, you animals - look at these children, watch, just watch!"

On a bedroom floor dozens of little children lie dead, their arms and legs strewn over one another. Many of their eyes are still open, bearing a look of shock and fright. They are all covered with blood and obviously suffered terrible deaths.

A girl, who is perhaps seven years old, wearing a headscarf and pink diamante belt, lies face to face in death with a much younger boy.

Another little boy in a yellow jumper lies with his arms stretched out, almost cradling the head of the girl next to him. Blood covers both their faces and soaks their hair.

People off camera are shouting: "Oh God, oh God, oh God."
Surely its time something needs to be done.....this can't happen again.^

Just googled 'Houla massacre' images. Speechless. There's a baby with an axe wound in his head. I hope there will be military intervention. Are there any government petitions going round?

I agree with Zorra re: the fact that in many regions of the world the violence is endemic and we can't intervene everywhere. But not doing anything doersn't seem right.

What is happening Winnie? We were in Libya like a shot, why not Syria? I can't sit back. This is beyond comprehension.

I agree with you completely Zorra, don't know what to say about the several stories near you, just heartbreaking. Where are you? Its all the more shocking that these stories virtually never break the news.

Hopefully, for Syria, the worlds attention on it now will bring about change for them quickly. Maybe on a grander scale this will open peoples eyes to what's happening to children across the world, after all we're here talking now about this.

Bonniebumble & Winnybella - those images will never leave me, how can people do those things.....

Syria: Why Houla massacre may not lead to intervention www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18227556

:(

Agree Zorra, and of the abuses in a lot of other countries, especially the ones with media blackouts/blocks on migration/banned entry to outsiders.

Just read on the bbc website that the UN are observing in Syria but did not act to stop the massacre. Why can't the UN step in when laws are broken?

I don't know Dirona, it makes a mockery of the UN, its just a talking shop....Failing countries and civilians miserably. And there are some very scathing reports about those observers, they didn't get out of bed even apparently.

I sit here, watching my 2yo and 5yo happily eating spag bol, and wonder how anyone could just drag a child out and kill them? Adults are bad enough, but little children?

And it's frustrating to see news reports that say this still isn't enough to have the UN step in.....

Fucking bastards.

Reminds me of the fucking nazis.

Sorry, lost ability to speak articulately. Fucking stinks.

How fucking hard can it be in 2012 to show some humanity to children FGS?

It is utterly, utterly horrific. And yes, the poster who mentioned Russia and China having blood on their hands here are right. They refused to sanction any of the UN proposals for a more robust treatment of Syria because they have vested interests in supporting the regime. Whilst it is never black and white, the UK I believe is doing what it can here (having tabled the most robust motions and with William Hague being one of the active international figures.) The problem is that the UK can't and wont go it alone. It needs allies to stand up and be counted.

I know Boffin.

They have been doing this for weeks. Months. They have tortured babies. And idiots on here have made comments about us needing to stay out of other countries. The western media has been largely ignoring it. China and Russia have protected them.

Boffin thank you for mentioning that. On the whole "history repeating itself" (although I realise the specific circumstance is different), here is a large number of people being murdered, as was happening during the Holocaust, and some countries ignored it and stayed out of it. Did they learn NOTHING from that??

It reminds me of Bosnia and Croatia. The UN "peace keepers" standing watching whilst throats were slit. I don't care if it's imperialistic, if we have to be the world's police so be it.

Fucking animals. I genuinely believe they will burn in hell.

Lord have mercy

Rape of Nanking as well. Pg women, grannies and little girls being raped to death over the course of four months.

Chubfuddler, sorry to correct you, but unfortunately the 250 UN people in Syria are not actually Peacekeepers. Their job title is 'Observer Mission'. When Syria and Assad accepted to have UN boots on the ground - something that took months of diplomacy and persuasion - it was only on the condition that those 'boots' were not peacekeepers, they were observers. People to observe and help Syria follow the UN and Arab League's 6-point-plan as brokered by Kofi Annan.

So much is being misreported. And as another poster said, "It makes a mockery of the UN, its just a talking shop....", that's exactly what the UN is, it is just a talking shop. The UN is just a meeting room. It provides the means for the countries of the world to talk to each other, and it can provide independent experts to give those countries advice when and if they ask for it.

The UN is not a world power and it is not the world's policeman, and never has been. It can provide peacekeepers, who are not UN staff but are soldiers volunteered by UN Member States (and never the US) who can only fire a shot in defence, but only if the country in question agrees to have them. It's unfortunate, we need a world policeman, really, don't we? America has tried n the past to be that policeman, but it didn't work out well for them. Every country in the world shares blame in not preventing the atrocities happening in Syria, but it is not really the UN's fault.

FWIW, in my opinion the UK, along with the allies it can garner, should lead a military intervention campaign to Syria, and as a UK tax payer I would support the cost of that in terms of the lives of our servicemen and women and the massive financial cost to the UK of that military action, and while I did not vote for this Government, I would support them in the decision to do that.

I didn't say the presence in Syria were peace keepers. But I agree the UN is ineffectual and pointless.

My DH warned me not to look at the papers or media reports today as I'd find them too horrific. The few glimpses that I have had seem to bear out his opinion.

I've got relatives in Syria - have been going there to visit them all my life. Sadly I don't find anything surprising in the actions of the Syrian government; they are acting in the standard manner of dictatorships everywhere and ruthlessly putting down the slightest signs of dissent. The state security machinery is perhaps the only thing in Syria which enjoys consistent funding and support.

I'd be delighted if the UN/America/anybody took military action against Assad at this point. Not sure it will happen just yet, although maybe these images will act as a prompt towards it. How many more kids will have to be killed to make action definite though?

Sorry if I sound very very cynical but it's that or spend the day crying over this.

Imperfectionist When you say you "would support the cost of that in terms of the lives of our servicemen and women", I assume either you or your children will be taking part in your proposed military intervention. If not, it seems an awfully dismissive way to talk about the lives of other human beings, some of whom are the partners and children of other MNers.

Going back to the OP - It's beyond horrific. I struggle to understand how anyone could do this to another adult, but to children ... In blocking the use of air support China and Russia most definitely have blood on their hands.

It's horrific, words fail me.

Just saw this update on the BBC website, link below - Is it me....or is the fact 'The meeting was called after Russia rejected a joint UK-French statement condemning the killings." - an absolute piss take from Russia, what are they playing at.

Syria's Houla massacre: UN Security Council 'to meet'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18229870

I agree that the UN is largely powerless; their role IMO is symbolic only, and even that symbolism is so diluted now as to be almost meaningless. Even agreeing the terms of a UN resolution takes weeks if countries exercise their right to veto. Russia and China take a bow.

I don't know what the answer is; is it military intervention? I do not view the current political freefall in Libya as a desirable template on which to base action against Syria. And let's not even get started on Afghanistan, 11 years on.

What I do know is that I agree with Chubfuddler - the people who committed these acts will surely burn in the mother of all hells.

I am not easily shocked but I made the mistake of watching some of the YouTube footage and literally ran out of the room howling. Christ Almighty.