As I mentioned at the beginning of this clip, when in Syria as a journalist it usually takes 3 or so days to acquire the necessary permissions to go to areas outside Damascus (or rather, areas outside of Damascus where there is a risk due to presence of terrorists, terrorists bombings, or their landmines).
During this time, instead of loitering I try to interview average Syrian civilians, sometimes artisans, and otherwise love walking alone in the meandering back lanes, absorbing the atmosphere–whether daytime or evening.
People ask me about safety: I feel completely safe walking alone in these lanes. In contrast from my first visit in 2014 to the liberation of eastern Ghouta in 2018, I did not feel safe, nor did Syrian civilians, because at any moment a terrorist-fired mortar might strike, as they did incessantly over the years.
As I noted a few weeks ago when I was here, the mood on the streets is completely difference than in previous years. Yes, people remained steadfast and defiant in the face of the terrorism, but now streets are busier than before, late into the night. That doesn’t make a good “story”, so Western media are not, to my knowledge, reporting on this. Instead, I see new stories invented to yet again attempt to demonize Syria or Russia, instead of just allowing Syrians to get back to life. It’s for the hell Syrians have endured and the silence of the media on this hell that I continue to post positive updates while in Damascus.
RELATED LINKS:
-US-Backed Terrorism in Syria: A First-Hand Account of the Use of Mortars Against Civilians, Eva Bartlett, September 12, 2014 https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-backed-terrorism-in-syria-a-first-hand-account-of-the-use-of-mortars-against-civilians/5401390
-University Hospital, Damascus: Meeting Victims of Western-backed Mortar and Rocket Terrorism https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/university-hospital-damascus-meeting-victims-of-western-backed-mortar-and-rocket-terrorism/
-Damascus Walks: Glimpses of Normal Life Without Terrorism, Jan 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoZVxedii_w&
-Revisiting Areas Mortared by Terrorists Before Peace Was Restored, Damascus, Jan 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZVpyZP8wyU&
-Mortars Which Terrorized Damascus Residents Fall No More, Jan 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3dDmv1VbM8
-Steel Artisan From Old Damascus On Life Without Terrorism, Jan 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=purbIveKq7s&
-Damascus Late 2018 Festive Atmosphere Without Terrorists’ Bombings, Dec 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATo8_bKwtog&
-Damascus Wood Worker: Traditions Continue, People Return, Jan 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wj9-LwUAb8&
-Tour of traditional Old Damascus home damaged by terrorists’ mortar attacks, April 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNXvqg856S8&
-Damascus sweet shop owner fled eastern Ghouta when terrorists came, April 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AfFwObjkfs&
-Reflections on how Damascus used to be hammered with terrorists mortars, not now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JT2I6GPVF4&
-Three Year Old Girl Critically Injured by Terrorist Mortar, Syria, Feb 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y0iIclOoHw
-Terrorist Mortars on Damascus, Apr 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTNYsjSXUyk&
-Children injured by shelling of Manar school Apr 15 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFAeXAsRxZk
-Giovanni store Damascus: How the Situation Affects his Business