The Fight Against Terrorism...
I received this from a friend in London who lives in the East End, close to where one of the bombs went off on July 7th. I hope she does not mind that I share it with you.
Jon Snow says it all! This is a city gone mad! On entry to Bethnal Green tube station this morning, every young man who did not fit the description of a "westerner" (and given that this is the East End, every other tube traveller is of asian appearance) was surrounded by at least three police officers, questioned, searched, questioned some more, searched again. Diversity is at serious risk of being over-ridden by blatant discrimination!
This is what she was referring to:
>From: Snowmail - Channel 4 News
<snowmail_daily@channel4.com>
>Subject: Sign of the times?
>Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:43:43 +0000>
>Sign of the times?
>====================>
A day in the life of London, maybe even a commonplace day in the life of a Muslim. I am cycling back from Channel 4 at ten thirty seven this morning past the back of Horse guards parade in line of sight of the back of number 10 Downing Street - suddenly on the edge of the park I notice armed police, four of them, their guns raised surrounding a tall Muslim man with a dark beard.
He is smartly dressed and has a brand new silver coloured camera bag on the ground at his feet. The voices are raised with the guns, in the time that I take to pass the guns lower, the bag is searched, the incident passes, no one seems to notice. Up on the mall a small knot of tourists are looking from a distance. One now normal unreported, maybe unreportable incident and a searing experience for one innocent Muslim man. Which isn't to say that the level of anxiety and tension which prompts such a scene isn't all too understandable.
I am white, crazy-looking on a bike, with a shoulder bag across my back, yet I am not stopped in line of sight of number 10: here lies tonight's central dilemma - do only bag carrying bearded Muslims need to worry about passing public buildings? Soon they will begin to keep away from them and what is shared, what is all of ours, will become places they no longer come to. Not just the pubs where they never might have drank anyway, but now the places that are central to our democracy and our identity...
Something we are addressing at seven with John Denham chair of the commons Home affairs select committee. He's arguing Mr Blair has got some of it wrong and must make amends.
See you at seven as ever,
best wishes,
Jon Snow
Jon Snow says it all! This is a city gone mad! On entry to Bethnal Green tube station this morning, every young man who did not fit the description of a "westerner" (and given that this is the East End, every other tube traveller is of asian appearance) was surrounded by at least three police officers, questioned, searched, questioned some more, searched again. Diversity is at serious risk of being over-ridden by blatant discrimination!
This is what she was referring to:
>From: Snowmail - Channel 4 News
<snowmail_daily@channel4.com>
>Subject: Sign of the times?
>Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:43:43 +0000>
>Sign of the times?
>====================>
A day in the life of London, maybe even a commonplace day in the life of a Muslim. I am cycling back from Channel 4 at ten thirty seven this morning past the back of Horse guards parade in line of sight of the back of number 10 Downing Street - suddenly on the edge of the park I notice armed police, four of them, their guns raised surrounding a tall Muslim man with a dark beard.
He is smartly dressed and has a brand new silver coloured camera bag on the ground at his feet. The voices are raised with the guns, in the time that I take to pass the guns lower, the bag is searched, the incident passes, no one seems to notice. Up on the mall a small knot of tourists are looking from a distance. One now normal unreported, maybe unreportable incident and a searing experience for one innocent Muslim man. Which isn't to say that the level of anxiety and tension which prompts such a scene isn't all too understandable.
I am white, crazy-looking on a bike, with a shoulder bag across my back, yet I am not stopped in line of sight of number 10: here lies tonight's central dilemma - do only bag carrying bearded Muslims need to worry about passing public buildings? Soon they will begin to keep away from them and what is shared, what is all of ours, will become places they no longer come to. Not just the pubs where they never might have drank anyway, but now the places that are central to our democracy and our identity...
Something we are addressing at seven with John Denham chair of the commons Home affairs select committee. He's arguing Mr Blair has got some of it wrong and must make amends.
See you at seven as ever,
best wishes,
Jon Snow
posted by Snapshots of ... at 4:30 AM
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