Syria: western activists volunteer to become 'human shields'

[Catherina]

Syria: western activists volunteer to become 'human shields'

Hundreds of western peace activists, including from Britain and from the US, have volunteered to become "human shields" in government-held parts of Syria, the Daily Telegraph has learned.


Many of those volunteering to go to Syria also took part in the 'Human Shields' movement that travelled to Baghdad. Photo: OLEG NIKISHIN/GETTY IMAGES

By Ruth Sherlock, Beirut
6:29PM BST 06 Sep 2013

The 'International Human Shields' movement, started by a group of activists in Britain and the US, plans to bring to Syria civilians from countries around the globe, who will try to deter US strikes on the country by staking out potential military targets.

Franklin Lamb, a lawyer recently appointed as the legal adviser for the group said he had been "inundated" with requests from activists including from Canada, France, Italy, the US, and Britain.

The Syrian regime has not yet indicated whether it will allow the group to enter the country, but it raises the prospect of hundreds of pacifists descending on Damascus, as happened in Baghdad before the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Many of those volunteering to go to Syria also took part in the 'Human Shields' movement that travelled to Baghdad, initially to protect hospitals and schools, and later, key government infrastructure sites.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10292367/Syria-western-activists-volunteer-to-become-human-shields.html

[geek tragedy]

1. I oppose any efforts by western governments to use force

to protect these people from the Syrian rebels.