Remembering Jean Charles De Menezes And Ireland's Role In Unleashing Terror On Iraq
dublin |
anti-war / imperialism |
feature 
Thursday July 28, 2005 18:49
by 1 of IMC
'Blair has decided that these Judge Dredd scenes are part of the price 'we' are willing to pay'
From Elaine and Ciaran on the newswire:The point blank killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, the lack of charging or even suspension of those who killed him (1 shot to the shoulder, 7 to the head) and the New Labour rationalizations that lay a basis for more of these killings to come redefine what is considered as acceptable collateral damage in this war. Blair has decided that these Judge Dredd scenes are part of the price 'we' are willing to pay for his war on Iraq. Meanwhile, the Ahern led government has made us morally culpable in the indiscriminate killings in the U.S invasions of Iraq & Afghanistan and have of course transformed shannon Airport, hosting 25,000 U.S. troops a month, into a soft and significant target.
The absence of a courageous and nonviolently militant anti-war movement in the imperial centres enhances a vacuum for the pathetic mimicry of the fundamentalist warriors as they bring the war home to London. Whether these attacks and the state's post-attack prepackaged scenarios of expanding police powers (they want to increase the time they can detain a suspect without charge from 14 days to 3 months) and reduced liberties lead to the death of active citizenship remains to be seen. The pressures on the Muslim community, once active in the anti-war movement, to internally migrate and depoliticize will be massive.
More Indymedia Ireland Coverage Of The Death Of De Menezes:
Police shoot man dead on London Tube. "suspicious"
Bertie Ahern says: Al-Qaeda watched 'closely' - Shannon not Al-Qaeda Fly Trap
...And Of The Pitstop Ploughshares:
Pit Stop Ploughshares Head to Oct. 24th. Trial- Update & Call for Solidarity!
LIVE!!!!
EVERY WEEK ON A MONDAY!!
4pm-6pm GPO-Vigil Against shannon Airport's role in the War on Iraq
with
The Pitstop Ploughshares
Photos of weekly vigil 25 July 2005
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The point blank killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, the lack of charging or even suspension of those who killed him (1 shot to the shoulder, 7 to the head) and the New Labor rationalizations that lay a basis for more of these killings to come redefines what is considered as acceptable collateral damage in this war. Blair has decided that thes Judge Dredd scenes are part of the price we are willingto pay forhis war on Iraq. Meanwhile, the Ahern led government has made us morally culpable in the indiscriminate killings in the U.S invasions of Iraq & Afghanistan and have of course transformed Shannon Airport, hosting 25,000 U.S. troops a month, a soft and significant target.
The absence of a courageous and nonviolently militant anti-war movement in the imperial centres enhances a vacuum for the pathetic mimicry of the fundamentalist warriors as they bring the war home to London. Whether these attacks and the state's post-attack prepackaged scenarios of expanding police powers (they want to increase the time they can detain a suspect without charge from 14 days to 3 months) and reducing
liberty lead to the death of active citizenship remainsto be seen. The pressures on the
Muslim community, once active in the anti-war
movement, to internally migrate and depoliticize will be massive.
25,000 U.S. troops are passing through Shannon
monthly. Private insurers have abandoned the airport. Opposition to Irish involvement in this war is rarely visible on the streets. We make our stand public weekly at the GPO and the maxim of "just don't so something stand there!" is fulfilled. Today there were lots of interactions with tourists form countries involved in this war - England, U.S., Italy, Australia and a refugee from Baghdad. We lit a candle for Jean Charles and concluded the vigil with a circle and a minute's silence.
Jane Fonda, stalwart of the FTA tours of the Vietnam War is hitting the road again against the war on Iraq.....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050725/ap_en_mo/people_fonda
Interesting debate/comments, initiated by an acquaintance of Jean, on the following blog:
http://finn.blogsome.com/2005/07/24/jean-charles-de-menezes-27/
*******************************************************
Contents of Wikipedia entry on Jean Charles de Menezes:
* 1 Biography
* 2 Background
* 3 Pursuit and shooting
* 4 Public reaction
* 5 Controversy over police procedure
* 6 Related incidents
* 7 Notes
* 8 References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Charles_de_Menezes
Normally right wing libertarian streak defender of Bush, Iraq war.However, he has article in Sunday Times two days back actually condemning Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and cites the report that came out recently, memory temporaily fails me, Schmidt? Anyways, the report shows that torture is policy ,not accidental. or few "bad worms".
What is important is that Sullivan noted the following "Not one Conservative website mentioned the ...report; better to look away..."
Of course, Times is subscription only so I cannot access imediatly, but I'll check for you all later.
Brendan O'Connor, nmeanwhile, in the Sindo, is conten t these days, itseeems, to write about Big Brother, rather than 'defending the west' he was so fond of broo haaing about a year back.
I like the way the egg the likes of us were suppossed to have on our faces( to quote the ubiquitous Avi H from Israel) has actually, it seems, begun to slap itself back on te faces of the right wing bigots and racist of were using the deaths of innocents, both in Iraq and the west, to push their own greedy agenda. I shouldn't really like it though.It was always wrong that the right wing liars hav e tried to portray people who are genuinly concerned with the way things are of bein g Nazis, etc.
For me, as I said before, a politician is a politician, but a right wing ( as, again, oppossed to Conservative) columnist is a hooker.A Conservative belives, genuinly, that he /she is rational and correct.A right winger is a liar with a greedy agenda, and a sence of falsehood that feeds on stonewalling and more lies.
Looking forward to Conservatives disagreeeing with me!
:0)
Andrew Sullivan is a Conservative.Apologies o him for calling him a right winger.Libertarian Conservative is what he is.Horray.
& in the meritocracy of england, people say "but Blair the cop isn't related to Blair the Blair". & I admit he isn't. He's not even related Eric Blair the George Orwell Big Brother.
But in other societies _less egalitarian societies_, it is commonplace to see key positions in the state taken by members of the same clan. The same surnames abound, the same moustaches even. I point out to them that many "third world" readers would think foolishly that Bertie and Dermot Ahern were related.
I've yet to get a decent reason why he should stay.
follow this link for a series of maps that show which Americans are dying and from where....
fascinating stuff...
http://amsam.org/2005/07/maps.html
redstate and bluestate dying for oil and empire
I still can't get over the UK police shooting a nonviolent young man at least 5 times in the head. There is no excuse for the police anywhere to get away with this action. My heart goes out to the young man"s family.
Haigh!
Cá raibh na hagóidíthe agus Seadam ag milleadh is ag léirscrois leis ar fud na hIaráice, na Cúáite is na hIaráine?
Bhí tost mór in Éirinn agus timpeall aerphoirt na Sionna.
Sky News reports today that the executed Brazillian was not wearing a bulky jacket (as reported by cops) and did not jump turnstiles (as reported by cops).
Body is being taken back to Brazil today, funeral Friday.
JEAN CHARLES DE MENEZES
Murdered by the police at Stockwell station
Friday 22 July 2005
The Menezes family call upon the people of London to join them remembering Jean Charles on the week anniversary of his death and in
conjunction with his funeral in Brazil
Friday 29 July
5.30pm
Vigil at Parliament Square
Please bring Brazilian and Peace Flags
Followed by
7pm
Inter-faith memorial service
Westminster Cathedral 42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW
The service will include readings from friends and family of Jean and includes a live link to Jean Charles funeral in Brazil.
There will also be readings from Bianca Jagger and Gareth Pierce and Prof Tariq Ramadan.
Tube: Victoria/St James' Park. Buses 11, 24, 148, 507, 211.
ALL WELCOME
For more information please contact
Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign
PO Box 273, London E7 07956 210332 / 07931 337890
Justice4jean@hotmail.co.uk
On Wednesday 27 around 40 people gathered outside Scotland Yard in London to protest against the shoot-to-kill policy and for justice for Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead last week by Met's anti-terrorist squad when they mistook him by a suicide bomber.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/07/319843.html
Death Squad Diplomacy whether in the Middld East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Central Asia, or in the Streets of London is all one Bush Junta. In the case of that Homeland Security Sheep Dip the Bush Junta is Force Feeding much of Europe and the USSA, it's the idea one has to Control what goes on at Home in order to Control what goes on Abroad. That's where Draconian Home Front Juntas serve the Bush Cabal also known as the War Cabal. In order to keep the War going and Feed their Financial Interest they must Secure the Homeland. Not from the Threat of Terror, Authentic or State Sanctioned, but from you, the ordinary citizen, who might object to their sending your sons off to Kill or be Killed in their Wars or Conflicts, while they Plunder the National Treasury for their own Profit via Military Build Ups. Of course if you understood the Nazi Past of the Bushcons then you would understand why they live in the Dark Ages and why Shoot on Sight Policies they use on the Battlefield can come Home to Roost. After all Bush, Blair, and Sharon are in this together.
And we're going to fight against this by capitalising words in the middle of sentences and making our writing very difficult to read...
Got a call from a member of the Brazilan community in Dublin. Some of the folks are hoping to organise a memorial and protest the shoot to kill policies next week.....maybe Wed.....maybe British embassy.
Will post definite time and place and othe info when it comes to hand.
Solidarity message from P-SOL (Party of Socialism and Liberty), Brazil
We would like to offer, in the first place, our sad solidarity with the family of our Brazilian friend, Jean Charles de Menezes, in this moment of extreme pain and anguish.
The assassination of Jean Charles, which was brutally carried out by the police in London, last week, has provoked a vehement repudiation by all of the Brazilian people.
Jean Charles, 27 years of age, was an electrician, and like thousands of other Brazilian workers lived outside his country to get wages to try and improve the living conditions of his family here in Brazil. This is due to the brutal social crisis and cruelty that the ‘globalised’ economic model of capitalism that drives thousands of workers and youth to go away from their own countries.
Jean Charles was killed by eight bullets and was “confused” with a suspect terrorist responsible for recent London bombings. The response of the police in London following this “mistake” was to say that they will continue to fire first and ask questions later. This is not acceptable.
The policy of Tony Blair is doubly criminal. Firstly, to maintain troops in Iraq unconditionally along side the North American troops – a war of occupation which is responsible for the deaths of 100,000 during the last two years – and, secondly, to use indiscriminate repression against immigrant workers in the name of a “war against terrorism”.
At the same time, we condemn the brutal attacks on a bus and on the metro of the capital of England – unfortunate actions and provocations which attacks workers, students, immigrants and the poor. We cannot but say that the responsibility for this war without end is the aggressive policy of military occupation executed by the governments of the United States and Great Britain that is now returning in the most horrible form in the premeditated deaths of immigrant workers that now live in these countries.
We reiterate our solidarity with the family of Jean Charles. We offer to use mandates as MPs to support any international campaign which denounces this crime and demands justice for the family of Jean Charles.
We demand that the Brazilian government uses its sovereignty in relation to this episode to demand from the British government a full investigation of this crime, repudiates the police for the extreme persecution of immigrant workers, and breaks diplomatic relations with the Blair government while it maintains its policy of “shoot first and ask questions later”.
We support all those forces mobilised by the Brazilian community in London to demand justice for this unacceptable crime.
Heloísa Helena -- Senator P-SOL (AL)
Geraldo Mesquita - Senator P-SOL (AC)
Luciano Genro – Federal Deputy P-SOL (RS)
Babá –Federal Deputy P-SOL (PA)
Death toll of U.S. military in Iraq passes 1800, most would have passed through Shannon Airport to their deaths.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050803/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
Is maith ago bhfuil daoine ag agóid roimh ambasáid na Breataine.
Is fiú agóid roimh ambasáid na Breasaíle leis de dheasca líon ma ndúnmharaithe ina mbíonn póilíní na Breasaíle gafa ann leis.
Tá níos mó ná éagóir Bhush is Bhlair ann, tá fhios agaibh.
.......not
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