Exactly at ten in the morning I reached the golden shimmering statue of the Friedensengel who thrones on the East bank upper the Isar. Thick snowflakes were still dancing in the air, some inches of white crystals covered everything around, rather a weather destined for Christmas eve. I was the first so I had a bit time to examine the area around the Russian consulate, a monumental Wilhelminian style building protected (especially for the event) by subtle surrounding police cars. I met a few Russians on their way to their representation for some bureaucratic exchange. A staff member of the consulate walked direction Europaplatz to check and report via his walkie-talkie. In between minutes a dozen Syrians arrived with a handful of banners (in the revolutinary colors, of course) ready to occupy the provided space. To express the rage over the Russian UN veto straight at the consulate's huge iron railings was according to the local policemen not allowed so that the nearest point at the top of the traffic refuge was chosen, straight at a red light for pedestrians.
More Syrians arrived shouting provoking comments about the Russian stance towards the consulate. Despite the instructions one of the police officers declared before the start of the vigil - no insulting shouts - many of the participants couldn't keep back their anger about the mass killing of their family members, friends and fellows mainly through Russian arms. After eleven months of exhausting resistance against the slaughter dynasty all their hopes shattered for a short moment after the last UN voting. Defiance is the new keyword now, mixed up with the whole spectre from disappointment to bitterness. I could almost grap the atmosphere of sadness and frustration off-loading here in the winter wonderland. Some members of the Russian diplomatic representation arrived busily taking photos and recordings of the protesters. Well, as long as they don't sell them to the Mukhabarat .. a few moments later another man arrived armed with camera equipment introducing himself as a Russian news journalist and taking some close-up shots of the participants (later the organizer of the rally told me the guy was most likely also a consulate staff member). One younger Syrian explained me that the frontlines are running meanwhile no longer between family and not family but between the crucial question freedom or Assad.
In fact it is still incomprehensible that the global community is not able to come together under the roof of the United Nations to compass a master plan protecting the civilians from the regime forces' atrocious attacks. Daily the horror stories are reaching new high levels of extraordinary brutality and the world still watches in frozen posture while the so called crackdown reaches infernal dimensions. Worldwide protesters gather at Russian embassies these days to demonstrate how they feel after being left alone at the time. Upset. And they have truly the right to be that.
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