Mr Nedal Izddenm gratefully accepts the 2016 Tipperary Peace Award, on behalf of the ‘White Helmets’ at a ceremony in the Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel, in Co Tipperary.
Tipperary Politicians and County Councillors, this week, failed dismally to raise their dubious profiles, when given an opportunity to voice their support for Chairperson Martin Quinn and his Committees decision to award the prestigious 2016 Tipperary Peace Prize to a most deserving Syrian Civil Defence, (a.k.a. the ‘White Helmets’).
Choosing instead to associate themselves with ventures in which they had no hand, act, or partial involvement, (e.g. €3.15 million allocated for the upgrade of the Stannix Home in Thurles,) as informative public representatives their silence was deafening.
“Whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you”
A protest did take place, mounted by a small number of myopic, mean-minded and begrudging members of Anti Imperialist Action Ireland, the latter who no doubt had individually recently returned from fighting ISIS in Syria, hence their intimate knowledge of Syrian affairs, (or was their decision to protest based on a diet of Facebook and YouTube Russian/Syrian propaganda).
Before a gathering made up of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, the Irish Syria Solidarity Movement and the Irish Refugee Council; Mr Nedal Izddenm gratefully accepted the 2016 award, currently Ireland’s most outstanding international award for humanitarian effort; on behalf of the ‘White Helmets’ at a ceremony at the Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel, Limerick Junction, in Co Tipperary.
Thankfully the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael, since June 2017, namely Mr Simon Coveney was wide awake and in a press release warmly congratulated the Syrian Civil Defence (a.k.a. the White Helmets) on receiving the Tipperary International Peace Award.
Minister Coveney stated; “The White Helmets are extremely deserving recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award. These 3,000 volunteers risk their lives every day to rescue their fellow citizens in the most dangerous and challenging of circumstances. They have saved almost 100,000 lives to date. Sadly, many of their members have paid the ultimate price and have themselves fallen victim to the violence from which they have sought to save others. I am very pleased that their heroism and sacrifice have been recognised with this award”.
Minister Coveney continued; “Since 2012, Ireland has contributed €87.5 million to the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis – which is Irish Aid’s largest response to a single crisis in recent years. I urge all sides to work for a political transition, an end to violence, the lifting of all sieges and barriers to humanitarian relief and for accountability for the atrocities and crimes committed against the Syrian people. Ireland fully supports the UN-led Geneva peace process and the work of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, and remains committed to supporting efforts towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict”.
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