EU-SYRIA: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

In an attempt to influence the public opinion and mobilise voters during the Syrian elections last month, representatives of the Syrian regime and their allies are spreading misleading and false information about the European Union (EU) and “the West”. Their main goal is to conceal the impact of their own actions and hold the outside world responsible for the suffering of the Syrian population and the grave mismanagement of the country.

Syrian regime officials and their allies claim that EU sanctions are a “collective punishment of the Syrian population” and that the West wants to “prevent refugees from returning to Syria”. They have also claimed that the West is supporting terrorist organisations in Syria and manipulating international bodies such as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to accuse the regime of using chemical weapons. Right after the “presidential elections”, regime-affiliated outlets and figures also launched a fallacious media campaign claiming that the European Union is preparing the grounds to normalise relations with the Syrian regime.

Ten years into the Syrian conflict, the Syrian regime is still trying to twist the facts. Social media platforms and mobile messaging applications have also made it easier for disinformation to spread. If you spot any of the below myths in your feeds, call them out. It is time to set the record straight.