"The Murder of Jean Charles de Menenez" by Rachel

Member Article submitted by Rachel on Wednesday, 9th November 2005. 12:19 PM

Having promised at the September meeting of our group to produce something for our web site about the murder of Jean Charles de Menenez, I found I was simply unable to pen to paper (or keyboard to screen) about the terrifying last moments of this fellow human being.

Such assassination-style murders occur daily in many areas of the world and they are certainly not an alien concept to the British 'security' services but the death of Mr Menenez still seemed too much to comprehend.

I would like to apologise to Mr Menenez's family for taking so long to produce this piece about their son's death and its implications. The events that I found so difficult to record must live with them every second of every day and bring untold pain. Wrekin Stop War would like to offer their deepest condolences the family and friends of Jean Charles Menenez; we hope that you are finding strength in unity and that your son will receive the justice he deserves.

Despite the public outcry about Jean Charles' death, the Metropolitan Police have cleverly trumped their detractors by making that most popular of moves, playing the terror card. In this new game of chance, the public were asked to consider not that the police shot dead an innocent man but that he could have been a terrorist. In the meantime, the Government and red-top media whipped the masses into such a frenzy that many actually accepted this as a reasonable explanation.

Could it also be that Jean Charles' olive Brazilian complexion made it easier to believe that he might have been 'one of them'? That is, one of the evil Middle Eastern fundamentalists who are allegedly stalking our streets ready to commit acts of terror. I feel sure that had Mr Menenez turned out to be a Muslim or even of Arabic extraction, his death would have been far easier to sweep under the carpet.

This week the skies have been lit up (and polluted) by fireworks to celebrate 400 years since the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot (or 5/11 as I believe it is now known!) Yet another 'tradition' that has happily transferred into the modern consumption driven society, with no thought to its meaning.

And yet, if people took a moment to think about what 5 November actually represents and the history behind it, they may find striking parallels with today.

The Gunpowder Plot was a reaction to religious persecution of Catholics, with anti-Catholic paranoia fuelled by the actions of the church's fundamentalists and extremists. Sound familiar? The religion may be different but the theme is very much the same today, in fact, as with 9/11, there is compelling evidence that the Government knew about the Gunpowder Plot in advance and its thwarting at the eleventh hour was well-planned. Today's governments are apparently prepared to go that 'extra hour' for authenticity.

I am not against the demonisation of extremist religious figures, whatever their particular religion may be. However, I also believe that by making these individuals representative of whole religious and social groups is a very dangerous precedent to set. Rather than opening dialogue on the human rights denied by fundamentalists, an all out attack on the religion per se drives moderate thinkers further towards the extremes.

Of equal concern are those at the other end of the spectrum, who are prepared to ignore the social injustices endemic to some religions for the sake of political mileage. This is compounded by the fact that anyone who is prepared to speak out often has to face the wagging finger and acid tongue of George Galloway and his cronies, the wrath of extremists, or much worse, as the consequences.

Those who seek power in our society, whether it is economic, religious or political, will never act in the best interests of those at the bottom. We are just expected to keep the cogs of the machine running smoothly without asking any questions. If we do ask questions we are now deemed to be a threat and, like Jean Charles Menenez, we could be terrorist. Others will label us evil non-believers deserving only of death and/or some kind of purgatory whilst some will claim that our deviation from the march toward their 'socialist' state makes us either political lightweights or fascists. Either way it's bad news for the dissenters, questioners or the just plain curious!

Those with power seek one outcome: keeping that power for themselves and will protect it by whatever means necessary. Britain is becoming a dictatorship according to Blair and whilst the face may change in the next couple of years, the mantra of capitalism won't so neither will the need for war, oppression and the erosion of civil liberties to support it.

So far, the War On Terror has encouraged support for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups and allowed opium production to escalate way beyond pre-war levels in Afghanistan. It has heightened sectarianism and violence in Iraq and done little to persuade other 'hostile' nations, like Iran, that it is in their best interests to disarm. Despite claims to the contrary, little has improved for women, unless they happen to be reasonably affluent and prepared to Westernise à la Lynn Cheney (wife of Dick), who runs many of the so-called 'women's rights' groups via the umbrella of Women for Peace & Democracy. As previously reported on this site, at the founding conference of WfP&D in 2003, many Iraqi women's groups were excluded because the group only provides funding to those who are 'on-message' with the Whitehouse. As Mrs Cheney is both a neo-conservative and anti-feminist, her views on women's rights are probably quite similar to those of the Taliban but with a smartly tailored 'power' suit replacing the bhurka!

Ever since its inception, the War on Terror has smacked more of the Salem Witch Hunts than a constructive campaign to rid the world of terrorism; its very title is an oxymoron or is war not terrifying anymore? Whatever their actions, the Coalition forces, the security services and the police only have to shout 'terrorist' and they literally get away with murder. The firearms-wielding, body-armoured thugs now 'protecting' our streets owe more to Judge Dread than reasoned judgement.

Bush and Blair's apologists still bleat on that the anti-war movement is wrong to blame the War on Terror and more specifically, the war in Iraq, for events like the 7 July bombings in London because the Iraqi occupation was undertaken after the attacks on the World Trade Centre. They conveniently forget that this is not the first time the West have waged war on Iraq nor is it the first time they have taken aggressive action to secure control of the natural resources of the Middle East. They also fail to mention that just a decade earlier, it was The Allies who left Saddam's regime intact and complete with helicopter gun ships to take revenge on those within Iraq who had tried to depose him. As they also regularly bombed Iraq in the period between the 1991 and current occupation, it's hardly surprising that the people of Iraq aren't exactly trusting that their promised 'liberation' will come to pass.

Jean Charles Menenez's death should never be explained away as a case of mistaken identity or an over-zealous reaction at a time of heightened tension. It should be remembered as the day that an innocent man was murdered, taking the final remnants of British justice with him.

Jean Charles is a victim of the War on Terror whose face we know and will haunt us for many years. However, tens of thousands of civilians have also lost their lives around the world and thousands more will come home in wooden boxes because they were sent to fight a war for profit. Most will remain anonymous to us and more perversely, to the politicians who orchestrated their deaths. Similarly, those prepared to brainwash fellow human beings to blow up themselves and others in senseless and indiscriminate attacks, whether they be in Baghdad, London, Madrid, New York or elsewhere, must share some of the responsibility for this insane cycle of violence.

I doubt very much that they have the compassion but I hope that whenever Tony Blair, Geoff Hoon/John Reid, Jack Straw and Commissioner Ian Blair look at photographs of Jean Charles Menenez, they are haunted by all the innocents sacrificed to protect their beloved capitalist state and its lust for conquest.

Rachel
November 2005

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