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London shooting viewpoint from the Germany newspaper Die Tageszeitung

. | 25.07.2005 14:17 | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Repression | London | World

From Germanys Die Tageszeitung. Frontpage headline ‘Deadly Mistake’.

Its editorial says that a shoot to kill policy cannot be justified. It questions how police can ever be sure of their target when they used a list of such vague criteria as the colour of his skin, the fact that he shared a building with known terrorists and was wearing a heavy coat.

Also the speed at which events unfolded also ensured that police could never be secure in their knowledge of the target.

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Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

Trolls

25.07.2005 14:49

It sounds like Magoo et al need to get themselves over to the message boards at the Tageszeitung.

anon


and the word on the street in Deutschland is ...

25.07.2005 15:41

How come the brits are making out they ain't panicking when from all appearances the police at the very least seem to have lost the plot. 'Over reaction', commonly pops up.

Personally I would like to hear more comments from expats around the world as to local perceptions of events whereever they happen to be? Sure it's just opinion, my comment above is merely based on talks with friends (middle class) and looking at a varied selection of local papers. We dont want to become and israel, only seeing things from our point of view. If you live abroad it costs nothing to spend a couple of minutes relating 'independently of your views' what the feelings are towards current affairs where you live.



man in Wilmshelm


Wrong address

25.07.2005 16:10

The comment by Christian Rath - i do not know whethter this is perhaps an Important Editor - ends with stating that the suicide bombers are certainly to blame for the fate of Jean Charles de Menezes.
The point is however, that he head nothing to do with them - he came out of a housing block which was under serveillance, looked like he might have come from 'an Arab country' and was executed on the spot - shot in the back, as his cousin saw at the morgue.
If the British police are supposed to protect the holy Rule of Law they failed miserably, and it is telling that both Blairs only speak of a 'tragedy' in stead of taking their responsability and resign, and that a paper from the left has the nerve to blame the suicide bombers.
Strange days - be afraid, very afraid.

Cornelius Coot


Bulldog spirit?

25.07.2005 17:11

> How come the brits are making out they ain't panicking when from all appearances the police at the
> very least seem to have lost the plot. 'Over reaction', commonly pops up.

'Cos the so-called Bulldog Brits are shitting bricks at the moment.

People are only using the transport system 'cos they'll lose their jobs otherwise - it's called precarity.

Chocolate Brown


RE: anon

25.07.2005 17:18

Ich haette's koennen, wenn ich's wollte!

Magu


I'll spare everyone the agony of Babelfish

25.07.2005 18:05

To put this article in context TAZ is a very leftwing paper. Okay, pardon the first draft quality here, I haven't done much translation in a long time.

____
Shoot to kill policy cannot be justified.
Commentary by CHRISTIAN RATH

It has become dangerous in the London Underground. First with the attacks and now the precautionary killing of an innocent Brazilian. Terrorists kill indiscriminately. The police had at least circumstantial reasons to suspect they were dealing with a suicide bomber. He left a building that was under surveillance. He ran from the police. He had dark hair and he was wearing a coat that was unusual for the summer.

However, going over those suspicions again, indicates that it never should have come to shooting the man dead. It can’t even be squared with the Met’s own shoot-to-kill policy of recent years, where officers should only shoot without hesitation when they are certain that the suspect is a suicide bomber. How can you be so sure in such moments of vague suspicion?

Of course, it is morally sound to justify shooting a suicide bomber dead before he blows up a packed tube. But how can the police know who has got a bomb strapped to them? The tragic death of the 27-year-old Brazilian makes it clear that an STK policy aimed at merely suspected bombers can never be acceptable as the police can never be certain when events are unfolding with such speed.

It’s not just about the pointless innocent victims. There is also question of preventing ethnic unrest, since, as a rule, STK victims will not be blond, but rather North African or Pakistani in appearance. It was only through chance that those bullets hit a Brazilian and not a Muslim- otherwise we would probably have already seen riots in Muslim areas.

In any criticism of the Met however, it must be made very clear that culpability in this escalation lies also with the suicide bombers, their backers and everyone that supports such attacks as a valid means of struggle. Not just because innocent people are indiscriminately murdered in a totally everyday context, but also because a tube passenger blowing himself and his fellow passengers up increases the dangers that police countermeasures will hit totally innocent people.


Herr Magoo


...

25.07.2005 18:14

so, you see, I don't really have any issue with the piece. Basically all he is saying is that it is wrong to shoot SUSPECTS dead as a precaution, but it is wholly acceptable where this is CERTAINTY.

magoo


to Annan---I mean ;anon

25.07.2005 21:10

RE;TROLLS
If Magoo is a troll------then I'm Billy Goat Gruff !

William G Rough


Magoo is a pimle spieler

25.07.2005 22:39

magoo is a wanker and who's that trip trappin over my brugge anyway ..
Bob Geld Wolf was 'ere

Hertog Jan