On the night of August 17, an area in Aleppo, Syria, was hit by an air strike. All the houses near the scene collapsed. The 5-year-old boy Omran and his family were rescued by rescuers and put in an ambulance.
In the video footage shot by local media in Aleppo, Omran sat blankly on the orange-red seat of the ambulance, his body covered with dust and blood. Since the wound on his left forehead continued to bleed, he touched the wound with his hand. Then, Omran looked down and saw that his hands were covered in blood, and his expression suddenly seemed a little confused, so he had to wipe the blood on the ambulance chair.
For a time, photos and videos of Omran sitting still made headlines in major European and American media, attracting worldwide attention.
The media later pointed out that the staff who rescued Omran at that time were all from the Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer rescue organization called the "White Helmets". "White Helmets" rescue has been described as the most dangerous job in the world.
According to its official website, the "White Helmets" is a non-governmental organization that performs voluntary rescue operations in Syria. It was established in March 2013. Its mission is: "The Syrian Civil Defense Force aims to save lives and support citizen groups. We adhere to neutrality, impartiality and humanitarianism, and are not loyal to any political party or group. We serve all Syrian people." In July 2016, the "White Helmets" were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
With the widespread dissemination of Omran's photos, the "White Helmets" organization has faced increasing controversy. For example, some people questioned that Omran's photo was actually faked by the "White Helmets" because the first responders on the scene posed in front of the camera instead of rushing to treat him, and the video was also shot according to the script. Some people also suspect that the "White Helmets" are supported by the British and American governments and are not a real non-governmental organization. Their ultimate goal is to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria.
Some British media said that the "White Helmets" are particularly good at using the media for propaganda, using photos of child refugees to gain attention. Moreover, the organization may have something to do with local extremist groups in Syria, or evenHelp extremists "recover the corpses" of hostages when they execute them.
In response to the above controversy, Jiemian News recently contacted Majad Khalaf, a volunteer rescuer of the "White Helmets" who is also responsible for external media relations, and conducted a video interview with him via Skype to verify the questions raised by the outside world. The following is the transcript of the interview:
Interface News: Can you tell us a little about yourself and the “White Helmets”?
White Helmets: My full name is Majd Khalaf. I studied engineering at the University of Aleppo in 2010 and worked in many fields until I joined the White Helmets. I am a volunteer and also responsible for media relations and other tasks.
In March 2013, we established the "White Helmets" organization in Aleppo, and all the founders were Syrians. Initially, the first rescue team only had 25 people. At about the same time, we also established a team in another place, also with only 25 volunteers. After that, we expanded throughout Syria. In October 2014, all rescue teams merged into a unified organization.
Now, we have 3,000 volunteers and 120 rescue centers in Syria, and have rescued a total of 60,000 Syrians.
Interface News: Do you remember Omran?
White Helmets: Of course. I still remember him.
Omran was rescued by our volunteers after his home was hit by an air raid. The cause of the air strike was unknown, killing three people on the spot, while Omran, his brother, father and mother were all injured. We rushed to the rescue because we received many calls for help. This is exactly what we do. We usually go directly to the scene of the incident to conduct search and rescue operations.
However, people only saw Omran's photo, and few knew that his brother died two days after being rescued.
Interface News: When Omran and his family were rescued from their home, were there doctors on site to provide timely treatment?
The White Helmets: When Omran was rescued, there was no doctor on site. We put him in the ambulance and went to the local hospital. There, the Omran family received medical treatment.
Interface News: Some people said that when Omran was rescued, someone was taking photos nearby, and they suspected that the photo of Omran was forged. Who were those taking pictures? Are they the“White Helmets”s?
White Helmets: That photo is of AleppoFilmed at a local media center (AMC). They have nothing to do with the White Helmets, they are just filming and documenting our work.
We have only one external media center, and any photos or videos we take and publish must be labeled with the "White Helmets" logo. Regarding Omran’s story, we have not released any photos or videos to the public.
Interface News: Did the local media take the photo and spread it?
White Helmets: Yes, it is the local media center in Aleppo.
Interface News: How did you feel when you saw Omran’s photo spread around the world?
White Helmets: We often rescue many children and often see many photos like Omran's. But we don’t know why that photo suddenly became popular, and we don’t know why the outside world reacted so violently to that photo. In fact, the airstrike that injured Omran also killed three people, one of whom was a child. So I don’t know why the photo went viral. I think it might have something to do with the emotion the photo conveys.
Once a photo inspires strong emotions in people, the impact will be different. For example, do you remember the photo of Aylan Kurdi, a 5-year-old Syrian boy who died on a Turkish beach? The whole world was grieved at that time. Many times, people only see a photo like Omran's, but they don't see the war that takes place every day in Syria, the wreckage after bombing, and the countless casualties. People only care about photos that touch them. This may be why Omran’s photo went viral.
Jie News: You mentioned that the “White Helmets” have rescued many children. Are children the main targets of rescue?
White Helmets: No. We want to rescue everyone in Syria.
Interface News: “Serve all Syrian people”, including those executed? There is a video showing that the "White Helmets" did not save people who were executed by extremist organizations, but instead helped collect the bodies?
White Helmets: Our main tasks include 15 tasks, including search and rescue, fire extinguishing, etc., and one is to bury corpses. This is also one of our tasks. So if someone asks us to help bury the body, we will go. We will help many organizations and civilians bury the bodies. You know Syria is full of bodies and the situation is complicated. Our purpose is to serve all Syrians, all non-armed groups.
InterfaceNEWS: How do volunteers get involved with the"White Helmets"?
White Helmets: We have set up a special organization to select volunteers. The main conditions include that they must be Syrians, must be unarmed, or must not work for any armed organization. They must be strong, between 14 and 18 years old, and must be honest enough, because sometimes we will find money and cultural relics.
Interface News: Will there be terrorists sneaking inside? Is this possible?
White Helmets: Impossible. Because our team is mainly selected from local villages or certain areas by local committees. So we all know the backgrounds of these people. If they are civilians, they must first be recommended by the local committee. After that, we will conduct a background check, and if there are no problems, you can join us. You also know that because we are an independent organization and not affiliated with any political or military organization, local people feel comfortable working with us.
Interface News:Where do the funds for “White Helmets” come from?
White Helmets: Many governments sponsor us and provide us with vehicles, equipment and training. These countries mainly include the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany, and they also provide support to us through non-governmental organizations.
Jiemen News: So how long is the funding period? One year or many years?
White Helmets: They funded us 3 years ago and will probably fund us for another 6-7 months.
Interface News: What next?
White Helmets: I don’t know yet, after all we are a volunteer rescue organization.
Interface News:"White Helmets"How to use social media for external communication?
White Helmets: Like other organizations, we use Twitter and Facebook to upload photos and videos. There are no media partners.
Interface News:"White Helmets"Nominatedstrong>In 2016the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, but the outside world questioned the White Helmets’ lack of qualifications. How do you respond to this?
White Helmets: We really hope to win the Nobel Peace Prize, because it is not only important for the "White Helmets", but also for the entire Syrian people. The outside world only knows us as an organization in Syria, or that the Syrian people need this organization. Everyone only knows that there are wars in Syria every day, and a large number of people are dying. However, it is easy to start a war, but difficult to rescue. So we hope to win the Nobel Peace Prize because the Syrian people need peace. Winning or not, we will continue to rescue more people.
Interface News: In the future"White Helmets"Will you consider cooperating with other organizations?
White Helmets: We would love to partner with other organizations. Now we are working towards obtaining certification from the United Nations and hope to cooperate with organizations in Italy, China and other countries in the future.
Related reading: Another photo of a Syrian boy makes the world angry and cry
