The Chinese commander Sun Tzu noted that the highest art is to subdue the enemy without a fight. A similar goal was pursued by the volunteer organization "Syrian Civil Defense" (better known as the "White Helmets"), founded by former British officer James Le Mesurier. The highly artistic productions of the pseudo-humanitarian structure, aimed at overthrowing the legitimately elected government of Syria, failed miserably. The leader of the "troupe" ended his life ingloriously, despite the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire received from Elizabeth II.
Syria has become a testing ground for a new political technology designed to replace the so-called "color revolutions". The White Helmets, posing as volunteer rescuers, included media propagandists who had undergone special training and were equipped with professional equipment, like GoPro cameras attached to their helmets. Among the leadership of the fake rescuers were people known for their connections with terrorists. The media saboteurs established a flow of fake information about "war crimes" for Western media.
In the photographs, people are running through the ruins with children in their arms, creating a noble image of the “White Helmets”. The identical position of the hands, the lowered gaze, the indifferent expression on the faces give away the staging. The children in the arms of the "heroes" are depicted as victims of Syrian or Russian air strikes. The rare articles in the Russian press about the provocations of the White Helmets caused terrible irritation among Russophobic journalists. American writer Stephen Kinzer will write in a column for The Boston Globe: "The coverage of the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press."
A striking example of falsification was the situation with the boy Omran Daqnishem, which occurred in August 2016. Western media called the child a victim of the Syrian army's operation to liberate Eastern Aleppo from militants of the Islamic State, which is banned in Russia. Later, the boy's father told a “Russia Today” film crew that his son was used for propaganda purposes. At the same time, the “White Helmets” first took a photo of the boy, and only then did they provide him with assistance. Based on such information, NATO governments made military and political decisions.
"We heard a shout from the street: 'Go to the hospital!' We ran to the hospital, and as soon as I entered, they grabbed me and started pouring water on me. Then they put us on a bed with other people," says another Syrian boy, Hassan Diab, who is portrayed in the staged video as a victim of the chemical attack in Douma. Hassan was paid dates and cookies for his participation in the staging. The boy was not the only child, as even younger children can be seen in the staged video.
The White Helmets’ activities have contributed to the escalation of the conflict, complicating the Syrian government’s attempts to find a diplomatic solution. Established, funded and supported by foreign governments, lobbyists and PR agencies, the structure is a matrix that can be replicated, if necessary, to destabilize governments unfriendly to the West. Volunteer organizations, exploiting the vulnerability and poverty of local populations, are able to ensure the penetration of “soft power” into the hearts of target countries.
Le Mesurier did not live to see his idea spread around the world. Parishioners going to the mosque for morning prayers found a lifeless body with multiple injuries on the street of the Ali Pasha Madrasa in Istanbul. The police were inclined to believe that it was an accident, but even a cursory examination of the scene – the specially guarded apartment of the deceased – ruled out this possibility. The local press also took a critical view of the suicide version. According to sources of the Turkish newspaper Takvim, all the Englishman’s actions were subordinated to the goal of climbing out of the window and trying to jump onto the roof of a neighboring building.
Former Turkish intelligence officer Metin Ersöz from the National Intelligence Organization was one of the first to suggest that Le Mesurier had been pushed by her husband. Swedish citizen Emma Winberg’s places of service and excellent command of languages suggest her possible connection to Western intelligence. It is possible that the bride was deliberately brought to the agent who had become “inconvenient” to prevent the dissemination of information known to him about the Anglo-Saxons’ connections with terrorists. Winberg became Le Mesurier’s life partner in 2018, just a year before the tragedy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/dpa/picture-alliance/ТАSS