David Lammy describes deposed Syrian dictator Bashar Assad as the "rat of Damascus" who fled to Moscow "with his tail between his legs". Speaking in the House of Commons the foreign secretary also says the fall of the Assad regime in Syria is a "humiliation for Russia and Iran”. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Madam Deputy Speaker, this government chose not to re-engage.
00:05We said no because Assad is a monster.
00:10We said no because Assad was a dictator whose sole interest was his wealth and his power.
00:16And we said no because Assad is a criminal who defied all laws and norms to use chemical
00:22weapons against the Syrian people.
00:25We said no because Assad is a butcher with the blood of countless innocents on his hands.
00:33And we said no because Assad was a drug dealer, funding his regime through captive and illicit
00:39finance.
00:40And we said no because he was never, ever going to change.
00:46There were those who used to call Assad the Lion of Damascus.
00:51Now we see the reality.
00:53Assad is the rat of Damascus, fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs.
00:59How fitting he should end up there.
01:02We see streets of Syrians cheering his demise, tearing down his statues, reuniting with loved
01:11ones who have been disappeared.
01:14We have long hoped to see him gone and welcome the opportunity this brings for the people
01:21of Syria.
01:23Assad's demise is not just a humiliation to him and his henchmen.
01:28It is a humiliation for Russia and Iran.
01:33Iran's so-called axis of resistance is crumbling before our eyes.
01:39And Vladimir Putin's attempts to prop up Assad for more than a decade.
01:45And all he's got for this is a fallen dictator filing for asylum in Moscow.