Mombai terrorism and the arrest of Damien Green
How strange the world is, everyday it seems just that bit smaller. After the shocking events in Mombai this week I found myself wondering how far we had come as well as how far we have to go. I know, I know, this sounds like a strange response but give me a moment to explain.
Lynne and Kenneth Shaw who were tourists in the city have lodged a grievance against CNN news. (Daily Mirror 29 11 2008 p.7). The cause of their complaint, denied by CNN, is that it appears they were in contact with the station whilst hiding from the terrorists. These same terrorists were allegedly watching CNN and locating victims via the breaking news. The Shaw’s claim is that after speaking to CNN the terrorists came searching for them. Obviously we have to set aside any claim for liability, culpability or responsibility here, this is not the purpose of these observations, but look at the wider issue of how news reporting has changed and the problems those changes can bring.
I was awe struck by the idea that in some way we were all sharing the dreadful experience in Mombai within our 21st century digital world. I say awe struck because I could not help connect with the history of India, the numerous acts of barbarity carried out by the British during the period of Empire and the events in Mombai this week. During the massacre at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 13th April 1919, British troops machine gunned unarmed Indian civilians under the leadership of General Dyer. How long did that news take to reach England? Maybe 24 or 36 hours by Telegraph but how long before eye witness accounts were really available? Even more important, how long before history could be separated from propaganda which in turn could be separated from ‘news’?
This week we were all there as we listened to people using mobile phones to speak to news outlets from within the event itself. The cause of my awe was how this has changed the way we construct history now. Imagine if the Indian civilians of Amritsar facing the General Dyer had been on mobile phones to CNN saying “The British troops are firing at us with heavy calibre machine guns.” Would it then have taken years for the truth about those moments to pass into historiography. No, we are in an age when the study of history has transferred into the moment, we have moved events from pages in text books years later to an experience in the moment through a vicarious participation.
This vicarious participation also brings with it the raw emotion of the experience. Who is it that can say they have not shared emotionally with the situation in this merciless attack? Even if you are on the side of the murderers, and I sincerely hope not, then you will connect with an emotion of triumph or success. But if you, like I, were shocked to the core of your being that individuals could simply take away the lives of people with whom they have no more connection than predator to prey, then your emotions would be of a completely different order. The point here is that this digital revolution is not simply technical, electronic and soulless, this 21st century media revolution is embedded in our humanity.
There have to be questions however, for we must not allow our humanity to become the slave of technology. To explore this point let us consider a wider perspective. For a moment we should dwell on the position of the Indian government. As there is a possibility that these murderers emanated from Britain, a claim currently being denied by the British government in the same tone and manner that Sadam Hussein denied Al Qaeda involvement, then will the Indian Intelligence Agency start to compile a report about Britain. Could this report state that Britain is exporting terrorism? Could this report state that Britain is possessed of weapons of mass destruction? Could this report state that Britain is run by an authoritarian tyrant and government the world is better off without?
Obviously such notions are based on a critical humour rather than a valuable critical assessment. However, we should not loose sight of the fact that Tony Blair received an intelligence report of essentially the same credibility with which he used to invade Iraq. Thankfully Britain’s oil has all but run out so there is no immediate danger of invasion as a result of any report the Indian Intelligence Service may construct. Further, Blair is now off ‘solving the Middle East problem’ (please, don’t laugh) and so we cannot say we are under a tyrant or authoritarian government….can we? Enter Damien Green.
Let us be clear, absolutely clear, in the whole history of British politics there has never been a time when politicians didn’t leak information to the press. What Mr Green has done is as core a political responsibility to an electorate as there is possible to be and it is deeply and historically rooted in our political soil. What did he do? He disclosed the complete incompetency of a system, a civil service system, that has been licensing illegal immigrants to work in the security industry in this country. Now who thinks it is a good idea for the beaureacratic functions of government to enact practice directly contrary to that government’s stated policies? Further, stand up those of you who think it is a good idea to put people who have no legal right to be in this country, and therefore cannot provide any legitimate proof of who they are, into the security industry.
You see the problem here is one that touches the whole system of public service management in this country and that problem is that it is riddled with incompetence and people more interested in ticking performance boxes in statistics reports than dealing with their core jobs. Examples abound from Social Services to Housing, from the Home Office to the Treasury and the only clearly notable exceptions are the Inland Revenue and the Customs and Excise. These last two are devastatingly efficient.
Once again, you have to read the humour between my lines here. But after having done that let us get very serious. Serious because we now have a government that have used counter terrorism laws to arrest an MP and search his offices for the potential “terrorist crime” of revealing management failings in our governmental beaureacracy. When exposing dreadful mismanagement becomes a “terrorist crime” then we are all in very, very, very serious trouble. Let us not forget as well that if a government minister, say Home Office Secretary of State Jackie Smith, had done exactly the same thing and exposed to the newspapers the licensing of illegal immigrants to work as security guards, then she would not have been arrested as government ministers are exempt from such prosecutions.
The world may have become a smaller place with our digital revolution but as this weeks events have shown it is also a much more dangerous place. Whilst we must protect our civil liberties we also must protect our global communities and we do that by supporting Human Rights in every possible situation.
This week Human Rights TV recorded the multi faith community group South London Citizens at their meeting in the Battersea Arts Centre. This group is part of the Citizens Organising Foundation which is an excellent organisation training community leaders and bringing communities together to act for a common good. You can see some of the work they do on the London Citizens channel on Human Rights TV and if you have a commitment to your community then follow this up and become part of the action rather than the talk. At the Battersea event students from Kings College London announced they have formed a group in the Citizens organisation….. where are you?
See how citizens are joining up the world.
Jack Adams
Project Leader
Human Rights TV
You can join human rights tv as a volunteer in film making, data management, marketing, business management, video production and numerous other roles. info@humanrightstv.com
About the Author (Author Profile)
I am Italian, from Florence. I am doing a MA at Soas, but on part time basis. At the moment I'm looking for a job...Subscribe
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