The Only Democracy? » Discrimination » Why do protesters only count in Syria?
Why do protesters only count in Syria?
Mitchell Plitnick has an argument here about why Syria should stay out of Palestinian protests. It’s an interesting case though I am happy to see the larger issue of the Palestinian refugee diaspora raised, I agree that Syria is a deeply flawed messenger, given its current brutal crackdown on its own demonstrators.
The New York Times coverage of the “Naksa” (a word I am embarrassed to admit I just learned this year” seems to support Plitnick’s point, as it claims that “only Syrians” protested after Lebanon cracked down on protests at its border. This ignores the protests accross Palestinian land, the list I received included Gaza, Qalandia (video below) , and a Lebanese refugee camp, but CNN did not mention them. The Winnipeg Free Press’s Israel correspondent called it “Syria confronts Israel alone.” This certainly makes it sound like Syria’s actions are overshadowing the daily
Even Juan Cole mentioned only the Israelis protesting for a two state solution.
Filed under: Discrimination · Tags: 1967 Occupation, CNN, June 5, Lebanon, Naksa, Palestinian refugees, Syria