Brian of London here. There’s only one place in the Middle East where the people have a right to peacefully protest. It’s a little country who’s name begins with “I” and ends with “srael”. Unfortunately the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office don’t seem to know that:
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt expresses concern at ongoing violence in Syria 25 March 2011
“I call on the Syrian government to respect the people’s right to peaceful protest and to address their legitimate grievances.”
Oh dear, have you checked up on whether the Syrian people have such rights?
Just a quick note to the FCO: people under the jack boot of despotic dictatorships are rarely able to openly voice any opinion as this action tends to result in them being gunned down in the streets or whisked away in the middle of the night. It’s been this way throughout the history of most despotic dictatorships and Syria is certainly one of those.
