There's Always Someone Watching Me.
The current 'terrorist threat' bothers me. I'm not worried about being blown sky high at any minute as I'm of the opinion that the threat is overblown by the powers that be. It is a good way of keeping the masses down is installing fear. It also diverts attention away from other more tricky political situations. For example the recent Israeli/Lebanon situation. Just when the UK and US governments were being criticised over the lack of a stance over the carpet bombing of Lebanon an 'imminent threat' to our nations security rears its head.
Now I maybe a tired old cynic (okay then, not even maybe), but the recent Forest Gate incident when an innocent man was 'accidentally' shot and the killing of the Brazilian guy last year make me wonder if our intelligence services are really that good.
This isn't my main problem with the situation though. Rather it is the climate of fear and mistrust of others it installs. I heard just today on Radio 5 Live that an Asian guy who was meeting relatives at Heathrow was photographed by digital camera by the police and then questioned for 15 minutes. I wonder if I'd been meeting someone at the airport if I'd have received the same treatment? I doubt it very much.
Young Asian males in this country are being targeted at the moment for no other reason than they are Asian. And it is a very worrying situation. When it is mooted that the government is contemplating allowing the security services to give Asian people special treatment at airports, by questioning them more than anybody else before they get on a plane, I start to worry. It is food for the wankers in the BNP for a start to start peddling their racist filth about all Muslims being terrorists. And they'll get away with it too if the tabloids are saying the same thing.
We are in danger of going the sdame route as Germany did in the 1930's here. Jewish people were touted as the cause of Germany's problems and treated with suspicion at first and then hatred. And we all know what happened next.
I urge the public not to get caught up in all this. We are living in a time when there are elements out there that want to blow us up, how much of a real threat there is don't think we really know, however to tar a whole sub-culture with the same brush is dangerous and irresponsible.
I'm sorry this is a bit of a rant but it made me very angry this morning when I heard about the guy at the airport. We have laws in this country about equal treatment and at the moment it seems if you happen to be a Muslim (or just Asian) these laws don't apply to you.
posted by marmiteboy at 7:11 am
1 Comments:
Terry,
Thanks for your comments.It is good to have debate.
I only mentioned racism in relation to the situation being used by the far right in UK to spread their repugnant views. I think that it is a totally legitimate argument to raise the concern that one section of the community is being picked on by the authorities.I felt the same way when Irish people were treated similarly in the 70's. It has nothing to do with race or being pc. It is to do with being fair. The last time I looked this was a democracy. That means equal treatment for all not just some of us. Hitler demonised the Jews in Germany and I have concerns that if Governments start this kind of unfair treatment it will demonise the Muslim community and as a consequence any Arab or Asian. This is a country don't forget that has had mobs burning down the houses of paedotricians because they thought they were paedophiles!!! We really don't need some sections of the community being given the excuse.
I go to Northern Ireland a fair bit. When I fly into Belfast I am usually searched. I am a white, disabled, non-religious Englishman and quite rightly, because there is a terrorist threat in Ulster, I am searched, regardless of colour or creed. That is fair and democratic. That's all I ask for.
10:11 pm
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