Mayday: 5. God Bless Syria

“He hadn’t really understood that he would be singled out.” How to tell who the jihadists are.

When James Le Mesurier fell to his death in Turkey in 2019 he left behind a tangle of truths and lies. Mayday tells the extraordinary real story of the man who organised the White Helmets – rescuers who film themselves pulling survivors from bombed out buildings in rebel-held areas of Syria – and investigates claims that, far from being heroes, they are part of a very elaborate hoax. James Le Mesurier – his detractors say – was a British secret agent, pulling the strings. So when his body was found by worshippers on their way to morning prayers, there were a lot questions.

Produced, written and presented by: Chloe Hadjimatheou Editor: Emma Rippon Researcher: Tom Wright Mixed by: Neil Churchill Arabic translation and additional research: Vanessa Bowles, Abdul Kader Habak Turkish researcher: Nevin Sungur Narrative Consultant: John Yorke Original music: Nick Mundy and Bu Kolthoum Production Coordinator - Gemma Ashman

REFERENCES

BBC Monitoring copy of HTS video

“WHITE HELMETS NEXT DOOR TO NUSRA FRONT IN ALEPPO” - Vanessa Beeley’s YouTube channel, 04 May 2017

“WHITE HELMETS, THIEVES, HELPED NUSRA FRONT IN TORTURE CHAMBERS” - Vanessa Beeley’s YouTube channel, 03 May 2017

“Excerpt: Focus” - KRO-NCRV, 04 November 2016

“Syria’s White Helmets Caught on Camera during Militants ’ Execution” Alwaght News & Analysis - 20 May 2017 BBC Monitoring copy of HTS video

Messages from Omar, from HTS.

“Canada's Dirty War Against Syria With Q&A Ft Vanessa Beeley” ICIT Digital Library copy of Crescent International video, 28 Jan 2020

“Vanessa Beeley gets destroyed on Assad's "anti-imperialism"!” Rev 2011 YouTube channel, 30 Jun 2017 - Video from a talk given in Birmingham, UK by Vanessa Beeley titled "The Liberation of Aleppo". Tweets by Vanessa Beeley

“Dr. Jaafari thanked honest independent journalists during an interview w/ Carla Ortiz in NY 7/28/17” - Sarah Abed’s YouTube channel, 28 Jul 2017

“WHITE HELMETS NEXT DOOR TO NUSRA FRONT IN ALEPPO” - Vanessa Beeley’s YouTube channel, 04 May 2017

“EXPOSED: Inside the WHITE HELMETS headquarters in Aleppo (Syria)” – Aramaic Heritage YouTube channel – film by Carla Ortiz

“Syria's White Helmets: The Mask of Terror” - Sayed Hasan. Anna News Documentary, Daily Motion, 05 January 2017

“ABOUT SAYDNAYA” Amnesty International

“Realities in Palestine and Syria Ft Vanessa Beeley” - ICIT Digital Library, 17 Apr 2017

“Canadian journo totally crushes MSM reporter on what’s actually going on in Syria” – In the NOW Facebook videi, 13 December 2016

ARCHIVE CLIP Russian pres UN:...We have interviewed more than 100 witnesses. More than 40 members are there White Helmets 15 former fighters from illegal armed groups where the White Helmets operated.

In the NOW Facebook video “’Independent Canadian journalist explains what actually is goin...’ ‘Canadian journo totally crushes MSM reporter on what’s actually going on in Syria,’ 13 December 2016

“Panel Discussion on White Helmets Organization in Syria” - UN Audiovisual Library video, 20 December 2018