It took moments for people to start posting their thoughts on social media after Parliament decided to approve an airstrike on Syria in a bid to end ISIS last night. It didn’t take much longer for various protest events to be set up across the UK in opposition to this.
On Saturday 5 at 3pm, over a thousand people are set to gather at Belfast’s City Hall in a ‘Not In My Name’ stand against the decision. While tensions are running high, so are emotions, and this protest is hoping to bring together those that believe bombing will make the world ‘a more unstable and unsafe place.’
Facebook Event Page Protest Image
Whatever your views, a few things are clear. Syria is already being bombed by Russia and the US, with thousands killed or being made to flee their country. There are fears that additional bombing will do little to wipe out the threat of terror, at the cost of many more lives of men, women and children. In turn, this will undoubtedly exacerbate the refugee crisis, inspire more hatred towards Western countries and provide a breeding ground for war. In terms of the basic patterns of human nature, history has taught us that violence simply begets more of the same, and this is the concern of those opposed to the decision.
Saturday afternoon will give people an opportunity to peacefully show solidarity in this view and make clear that David Cameron’s decision is not representative of the UK as a whole.
For more information, see the event page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/539491236213640/