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Comment by alan_cx | Hacker News Reader

Assad calls the Syrian freedom fighters terrorists.

Americans called the IRA freedom fighters. We Brits call them terrorists.

South Africans called the ANC terrorists. Now look at Mandela.

I've heard it said that what finally helped bring an end the prolonged violences of 'The Troubles', was not the political process put in place by Blair, but the fact that after 9/11, many Americans suddenly felt a bit bad about sending money back to the IRA (no that they had experienced terrorism on their doorstep). With their main source of funding removed, the IRA was unable to keep up their armed resistance. I'm sure the situation was far more complex, but it's a fact that bars and clubs that once publicly collected money to send over, now no longer do.

One of our representatives openly supports the IRA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_T._King#Support_for_the_...

sigh

Sorry, the Syrian "freedom fighters" ARE terrorists. They are only "freedom fighters" for the US Media.

Assad is not that good himself, but the "freedom fighters" are just a bunch of muslim fundamendalists that have slaughtered innocent people and have little popular support.

The Syria situation is not like Egypt or Turkey.

"During his time in Syria throughout much of 2012, videographer Robert King followed Aleppo's Al-Tawhid Brigade as he dodged bullets and rocket fire to learn more about the largest brigade of the Free Syrian Army. Somehow Robert managed to track down Haji-Mara, the Al-Tawhid Brigade's commander, for a rare interview, during which the former-businessman-turned-freedom-fighter espouses the many difficulties the rebels face against the alleged brutality of President Bashar al-Assad's regime."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CeP81s1KdM

I hadn't seen that series, brave journo.

Yes, one sided propaganda. What about it? In Europe people have followed the story decades before Robert Kind even heard of Syria, and know both sides and their backgrounds and goals.

What, their being a terrorist or not is conditional on how many times a day they pray?

No, it's conditional in whether they have popular support and/or represent a change for the better, or are just thugs that want to enforce a Taliban style rule.

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