{"id":189167,"date":"2019-06-01T06:13:48","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T06:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=189167"},"modified":"2019-06-04T07:33:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T07:33:56","slug":"one-mans-quest-to-expose-a-fake-bbc-video-about-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=189167","title":{"rendered":"One Man’s Quest To Expose A Fake BBC Video About Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rick Sterling, Susan Dirgham — Russia Insider May 31, 2019<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

It\u2019s a David vs Goliath story.<\/strong>\u00a0A former local newspaper reporter, Robert Stuart, is taking on the British Broadcasting Corporation.\u00a0Stuart believes that a sensational video story about an alleged atrocity in Syria\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cwas largely, if not entirely, staged.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 The BBC would like it all to just go away.<\/strong>\u00a0But like David, Stuart will not back down or let it go.\u00a0 It has been proposed that the BBC could settle the issue by releasing the raw footage from the event, but they refuse to do this. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Controversial Video<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The video report in controversy is \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u2018. Scenes from it were first broadcast as a\u00a0BBC news report<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0on August 29, 2013 and again as a BBC Panorama special in September. \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019 was produced by BBC reporter Ian Pannell with Darren Conway as camera operator and director.<\/span><\/p>\n

The news report footage was taken in a town north of Aleppo city in a region controlled by the armed opposition. It purports to show the aftermath of a Syrian aerial attack using incendiary weapons, perhaps napalm, killing and burning dozens of youth.\u00a0 The video shows the youth arriving and being treated at a nearby hospital where the BBC film team was coincidentally filming two British medical volunteers from a British medical relief organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

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BBC reporter Ian Pannell in Aleppo during the making of the documentary in August 2013. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

The video had a strong impact. The incident was on August 26. The video was\u00a0shown on the BBC<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>three days later as the British Parliament was debating whether to support military action by the US against Syria.\u00a0 As it turned out, British parliament voted against supporting military action. But the video was effective in demonizing the Syrian government. After all, what kind of government attacks school children with napalm-like bombs?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Context<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019 was produced at a critical moment in the Syrian conflict. Just days before, on August 21, \u00a0there had been an alleged sarin gas attack against an opposition held area on the outskirts of Damascus. Western media was inundated with videos showing dead Syrian children amidst accusations the Syrian government had attacked civilians, killing up to 1400. \u00a0The Syrian government was assumed to be responsible and the attack said to be a clear violation of President Obama\u2019s \u201cred line\u201d against chemical weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

This incident had the effect of increasing pressure for Western states or NATO to attack Syria. It would be for humanitarian reasons, rationalized by the \u201cresponsibility to protect\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The assumption that \u2018the regime\u2019 did it has been challenged. Highly regarded American\u00a0 journalists including the late\u00a0Robert Parry<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Seymour Hersh<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0investigated and contradicted the mainstream media. They pointed to the crimes being committed by the armed opposition for political goals.\u00a0\u00a0A report by two experts including a UN weapons inspector<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0also came to the conclusion that the Syrian government was not responsible and the attack\u00a0 was actually by an armed opposition group with the goal of forcing NATO intervention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the Controversial Video is Suspicious<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

After seeing skeptical comments about \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019 on an online discussion board, Robert Stuart looked at the video for himself. Like others, he thought the hospital sequences looked artificial, almost like scenes from a badly acted horror movie.<\/span><\/p>\n

But unlike others, he decided to find out. Thus began his quest to ascertain the truth. Was the video real or was it staged?\u00a0 Was it authentic or contrived propaganda?<\/span><\/p>\n

Over almost six years his research has revealed many curious elements about the video including:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

* Youth in the hospital video\u00a0appear to act on cue<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

* There is a\u00a0six hour discrepancy<\/a>\u00a0in reports about when the incident occurred.<\/span><\/p>\n

* One of the supposed victims, shown\u00a0writhing in pain on a stretcher<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, is seen earlier walking unaided into the ambulance.<\/span><\/p>\n

* The incident happened in an area controlled by a\u00a0terror group<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>associated with ISIS.<\/span><\/p>\n

* One of the British medics is a former UK soldier involved in\u00a0simulated injury<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0training.<\/span><\/p>\n

* The\u00a0other British medic<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is daughter of a prominent figure in the Syrian opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

* In 2016 a local rebel commander\u00a0testified<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0that the alleged attack never happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

Support for Robert Stuart<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Robert Stuart\u2019s\u00a0formal complaints<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0to the BBC have been rebuffed. His\u00a0challenges<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0to those involved in the production have been ignored or\u00a0stifled<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Yet his quest has won support from some major journalistic and political figures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Former Guardian columnist Jonathan Cook has written several\u00a0articles<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>on the story. He says,\u00a0 \u201cStuart\u2019s sustained research and questioning of the BBC, and the state broadcaster\u2019s increasing evasions, have given rise to ever greater concerns about the footage. It looks suspiciously like one scene in particular, of people with horrific burns, was staged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Former UK Ambassador Craig Murray has compared scenes in \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019 with his own harrowing experience with burn victims. He\u00a0says<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0\u201cThe alleged footage of burn victims in hospital following a napalm attack bears no resemblance whatsoever to how victims, doctors and relatives actually behave in these circumstances.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fabrication in BBC Panorama \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Film-maker Victor Lewis-Smith has done numerous projects for the BBC. When learning about Stuart\u2019s research he asked for some explanations and suggested they could resolve the issue by releasing the raw video footage of the events. When they refused to do this, he\u00a0publicly tore up his BBC contract<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why it Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The BBC has a reputation for objectivity. If BBC management was deceived by the video, along with the public, they should have a strong interest in uncovering and correcting this.\u00a0 If there was an error, they should want to clarify, correct and ensure it is not repeated.<\/span><\/p>\n

The BBC could go a long way toward resolving this issue by releasing raw footage of the scenes in \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019. \u00a0Why have they refused to do this?<\/strong>\u00a0In addition, they have\u00a0actively\u00a0removed<\/a><\/span> youtube copies of \u2018Saving Syria\u2019s Children\u2019.\u00a0<\/strong>If they are proud of that production, why are they removing public copies of it?<\/span><\/p>\n