The war of images between opponents and supporters of the Syrian regime

War of images in Syria

There is a particularly macabre video currently doing the rounds on sharing sites. It was uploaded on Tuesday and according to the Syrian authorities it shows members of the Muslim Brotherhood throwing the dead bodies of loyalist soldiers and policeman into the water. It is hard to verify these images but they were reportedly filmed in the opposition stronghold of Hama, which has been under siege by security forces since the weekend and Bashar al-Assad’s government says it illustrates the barbarity of the rebels.

The images have sparked lively debate, with regime opponents wondering if the Syrian authorities staged the entire video for propaganda purposes. Ammar Abdulhamid for example, an activist living in exile in the US, writes on his blog “Syrian Revolution Digest” that the Al-Assad regime has repeatedly made up stories and fake videos and has never been able to provide any tangible evidence to prove rebels have committed these violent acts.

And as they wait to find out more about these images, regime opponents are doing what they can to share reports of the situation in Hama and the violence used by the army. A number of videos like these ones have appeared online in recent days and show tanks moving through the city’s streets and even snipers positioned on roofs of buildings. Other footage helps convey the atmosphere in the city at the moment, with sounds of heavy gunfire in the background.

As we can see in these pictures filmed on Tuesday and Wednesday in the streets of Hama, the tense climate has not stopped opposition members meeting up in the evenings, to voice their anger and show the authorities they will not give up until the fall of the regime.

Spanish protesters continue their movement

Here we see thousands of Spain’s so called ”indignants” taking part in a peaceful protest against the evacuation of their tent city in Puerto del Sol on the morning of August 2. These images illustrate the atmosphere in the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday night after the authorities decided to block access to the square which since mid-May had been a regular meeting point for protesters.

The government appears determined to put an end to this protest movement and dismantled the Puerto del Sol encampment, but the “indignants” continue their fight regardless. The movement is coordinated, as it was begun, principally via social networks, and on Twitter in particular where protesters have been using the slogan no pararemos, “we will not give up”.

Some have decided to take the fight to Brussels. Around 50 “indignants” set off on foot from Madrid on the 26th July to make the 1500 kilometer journey to the Belgian capital. According to those taking part, the aim of their “marcha bruxellas” is to obtain real democracy in Europe, and at the same time raise awareness of their movement.

Their trek has the support of the organization « acampada bcn internacional » which is encouraging all Europeans to organize their own marches towards Belgium. Their aim is to bring as many people as possible to Brussels in October to show the European authorities that citizens have had enough.

European film gateway

At long last, a portal for European cinema: on the site European film gateway web users can access historical documents, free of charge. Films, photographs and posters … the gateway currently hosts over 600 000 pieces and collaborates with cinematheques from fifteen European countries.

Abbey Road rage

It is probably the most famous record cover in the world and the site “Abbey Road Rage” is paying tribute to the Beatles Abbey Road album, by publishing web users’ variations of the photo of the fab four. The pictures are often ridiculous, always funny, and see them depicted in Lego, as robots, or even insects …

Video of the day

A Mexican Mariachi band serenading a Beluga whale … this unlikely scene was recorded in a Connecticut theme park in the US recently. As we can see the beluga seemed to appreciate the private show and remained attentive throughout the performance.