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Mayday: 7. Managed Massacres

鈥 I have these epiphanies all the time, especially if I had anchovies on my pizza..鈥 Could the rescuers be involved in staging chemical attacks?

鈥 I have these epiphanies all the time, especially if I had anchovies on my pizza..鈥 Could the White Helmets be involved in staging chemical attacks?

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 鈥 rescuers who film themselves pulling survivors from bombed out buildings in rebel-held areas of Syria 鈥 and investigates claims that, far from being heroes, they are part of a very elaborate hoax. James Le Mesurier 鈥 his detractors say 鈥 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

鈥淩oger Waters - Reporting The Truth鈥 Roger Waters YouTube channel, 6 December 2019

鈥淏riefing by Chief of Main Operational Directorate of Russian General Staff Sergei Rudskoy鈥 袦懈薪芯斜芯褉芯薪褘 袪芯褋褋懈懈 (Ministry of Defense of Russia) YouTube channel 17 March 2018

鈥淰oices of people hiding in a basement in #EasternGhouta while #Assad regime & #Russia forces shell the area. Trying to destroy #Syria & kills its people or make them succumb to starvation & tyranny.鈥 Dima Moussa @dimam78 Tweet 04 March 2018

Syria Gas Attack Victims Treated at Hospital, Syria Civil Defence video

鈥淩ussia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov - 91热爆 HARDtalk rushes鈥 - 91热爆 HARDtalk exclusive, 17 April 2018

亘乇賵賲賵 乇噩賱 丕賱孬賵乇丞 Revolution Man promotional video, 10 February 2018 - Movie Produced by the Syrian ministry of culture

鈥淕asping for life: Syria's merciless war on its own children鈥 CNN
賰賵賳鬲丕賰 丕賱丨賱賯丞

23 Panet46 (Contac Episode 23 Panet46) dailymotion - Shoof Drama 卮賵賮 丿乇丕賲丕

鈥淓thics Forum: Paul McKeigue (Edinburgh Usher Institute)鈥 25 January 2019 video from Jamie Smith on 12 February 2019, published on the University of Edinburgh website

鈥淯N: Chlorine was placed in Douma by militants for provocative purposes 鈥揜ussia's OPCW rep. Shulgin鈥 20 January 2020, Ruptly YouTube Channel (Ruptly is part of the same media family as RT) credit: UNIFEED-UNTV

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36 minutes

Podcast