I will have my say. And I will not have my say restricted to 144 characters or the small paragraph that Facebook allows. And those of you with any sense will read this and concur in a similar fashion.
May I begin by saying I do not wish to engage in any racial debate. I don't believe it should be about that at all nor do I side either way. My views are complex and my views alone so don't read too much into them. Also I do not agree with the teachings or actions of extremist Islam and so in the following paragraphs where it may read a bit defensive of This or punishing of British ignorance please observe that I am a Christian and absolutely proud of the Britishness I inherited. Again I do not agree with this becoming a racial debate or even a political debate and I post this in the hope that people will remember the life lost today above all political agendas. Thank you.
The attack in London today is the latest example of terrorism hitting Britain in its fullest and most shocking form. A man, a soldier who represents British security, is randomly and brutally hacked to death in broad daylight and full view of passers by.
My first and most pressing issue is the charade of citizen journalism that has invaded social networking sites where it seems anyone and everyone are today's politicians, is exactly that, a charade. Why is it that with hindsight everyone is so eager to defend either side of this when the simple fact is that during the attack not one person, it seems, attempted to approach these murderers. The sense of British altruism seems to have died with the sense of British liberty we once boasted. This is what I am first and foremost shocked by.
Secondly, why did it take our wonderful and heroic police force 20 minutes to arrive on scene. Well the armed response team anyway... Was it that they were perhaps too busy camping outside a BBC veterans house waiting to arrest them in that sham of an investigation. No the police did arrive within minutes, and WAITED AT THE END OF THE STREET. I admit yes, maybe twas all very sudden, but the police force are trained and paid to approach threats like these men. Not to reason, no, there is no reasoning with extremists, but to show strength and solidarity to the public and in the face of danger and they waited at the end of the street. They were not drawing off the street, they were not diverting traffic, after all the other end of the street was still open as there was still hundreds of people in the area. It seems to me this is a simple example of poor response time and cowardice.
Next, and most passionately I hate that this has become a racial debate. The simple fact is that a man has been attacked at random and brutally murdered and it seems this poor boys life is going to be forgotten amongst the rage of a racial debate. Which frankly I will not stand for.
The men at hand were extremists and not at all representative of an entire religion. Those that are arguing so are narrow minded and racially prejudiced. Similarly those that are arguing against racism in this debate so passionately are beginning to sound like politically correct hippies the way they defend these people and seemingly defend their actions.
Africa and Muslim countries experience this kind of violence on a daily basis and we, Britain have fought wars to defend against this for thousands of years. Wars that combatted oppression and tyranny, greed and violence. Which is why we live in the country we do now. We are not without some areas for improvement but generally we see a better world than a lot of Muslims. This act of violence is a retaliation to what these countries see all to often and sometimes by British hands. The freedom Britain continuously defends and the predjudice , racial, sexist, homophobic, disabled, whatever, that Britain fights against in theory, is not exemplified in today's society and within this situation fails spectacularly.
The backlash to this is uproar from mindless racist zombies that are going to use this as a 'they take our jobs, disrespect out culture and kill for fun' point of view and political decisions are going to be made based upon this. Britain will become an embodiment of racial predjudice, the kind that it has so long fought against. Based on a singular spontaneous event.
I'm saying this event should not be enough to make Britain a hypocrite.
I defend no Muslim extremist actions and I hate these men for the fear and sadness they bring upon a nation and a family. What they did was unspeakable. Britain is supposed to be a country where this brutality does not thrive and they've tainted this image. I hate that religion is able to do such a thing, cause such a rift and make circumstances forever unable to control.
I am incredibly proud to be British. Overwhelmingly so. Britain has come together through social networking, and although In a sense of gossip and with the many many opinions, they have created a sense of solidarity that only Britain can create. That war time spirit that defines our Nation runs deep and comes out in times of grief. It presents itself over and over and I am proud to be a part of it, despite the ignorance of some and the mouthy-ness of many.
But the long and short of this issue... Racial debate aside... Is that today a young man died. My thoughts and prayers are with his family NOT the terrorists who claim 'an eye for an eye' and hope for martyrdom. He is the only person within this horrendous news story that deserves any kind of contemplation.
Stop your racial debates. Stop your defending of Islam and shaming of British ignorance and hypocritical attitude. Stop even the understanding of what occurs in Muslim societies all over the world. Stop your British pride. Stop your politics. Stop your bickering. Stop everything that doesn't include sending a supportive thought or prayer to the family of the poor boy involved in this. Give me my way and let May 22nd be about nothing but him.
R.I.P
