Should the White Helmets win, it would only be the latest effort by governments, NGOs and the media to promote terrorism. The fact that it is the Nobel Committee is perhaps the ultimate irony, or it would be if they hadn’t already awarded the Peace Prize to the most warlike US President in history.
Yet while it comes as no surprise that the British and US governments, the BBC and Netflix think its quite alright to promote terrorism, it did come as a shock to many that the International Civil Defence Organisation would choose to do so too.
The International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) exists to support civil defence and first responders right around the world. One of its founder members was Syria, and Syria’s Civil Defence organisation has historically been held in the highest regard, involved in training similar organisations in many other countries.
On Wednesday this week, it was noticed that the ICDO had made an update to their website and had linked the Syrian entry on their membership page to the White Helmets rather than the real Syrian Civil Defence. This despite being well aware that it is the real Syrian Civil Defence which continues to pay its membership fee to the ICDO, the White Helmets having contributed nothing.
So yesterday morning Vanessa Beeley spoke to an ICDO representative in Geneva, to ask how and why this had happened.
VB: Good morning, I was wondering if you could explain why the link on your website to the Syria Civil Defence has been linked to the White Helmet website…
ICDO: I will explain to you directly. We had so many calls and emails this morning. It was a database mistake. Internal mistake. We are still an apolitical and inter-governmental organisation. The only civil defence we recognise, the only government we recognise is the official one. It was just a mistake. The link to the WRONG Civil Defence. Actually the White Helmets are not even civil defence concretely. No, no it was just a mistake and its corrected immediately. [laughs] I am surprised that last night so many people are watching our website…
VB: Well there is so much “confusion” over who the REAL Syria Civil Defence is…and who are the White Helmets..
ICDO: Absolutely. From our side, we are working in the field and ONLY with official governments, we don’t even talk about any political issues.
VB: Good. So as far as ICDO is concerned – the REAL Syria Civil Defence and the Syrian Government are officially recognised by the ICDO
ICDO: Yes, it is the only one that is recognised, I mean, by the UN and by us also.
VB: So the Syria Civil Defence is the only organisation recognised in Syria by the UN and by the ICDO, is that correct?
ICDO: Yes the official one, NOT THE WHITE HELMETS.
A mistake, then, and a clear and definitive statement that the White Helmets are not viewed internationally, including by the United Nations, as being a first responder civil defence organisation. The only civil defence organisation recognised is the real Syrian Civil Defence.
Where does this leave the credibility of those who promote terrorists as heroes?
