Powerful video released by 'With Syria' campaign to end violence

ByLA Blake WABC logo
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
(YouTube, The Syria Campaign)
WABC-WABC

What if we could reverse the explosion of a bomb?

A group of 130 organizations from around the world, known collectively for the "With Syria" campaign, released a video Wednesday that shows just what that would look like. The campaign hopes to bring attention to the violence in Syria.

Warning: Contains disturbing imagery.

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In the video, the act of a bomb exploding near children playing is reversed: The blood returns to their heads, the children stand back up, run in reverse and continue the game they were playing. A message says, "We can't reverse what's happened in Syria, but we can change how the story ends."

The website for the #withsyria movement says that the goal is to bring attention to the violence in order to pressure world leaders to take action. It is led by The Syria Campaign, a non-profit based out of the United Kingdom, and supported by dozens of organizations, including World Vision and Amnesty International. The movement began in March, using a red balloon as a symbol of hope for peace and asking people around the world to take a picture of themselves with a red balloon in order to stand #withsyria.

Neither the #withsyria movement nor The Syria Campaign have an official affiliation with any party in the conflict. However, The Syria Campaign takes a firm stance that world governments should supply more money and aid for those in need in Syria. The United Nations says it has allocated $81 million toward humanitarian efforts in Syria since 2012.

An August Human Rights Data Analysis Group report commissioned by the United Nations estimated that 191, 369 had died so far in the 3-and-a-half year conflict.

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