What just happened?

Posted by johnqpublican on Thu 30 Apr 2009 at 13:21

"All I can say is that I'm disappointed they didn't get the maximum sentence" -- Hazel Webb, whose daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombing at Edgeware

See, I can understand that, I really can. They: Waheed Ali and Mohammed Shakil, and their compatriots, killed over 50 people for no good reason except a feeling of alienation in the country their parents had brought them too looking for a better life. Er, wait, hang on; the 7/7 bombers all died. What just happened?

These two men were acquitted of collusion with the 7/7 conspirators, and specifically of helping them scout targets for the bombings. Both men have been jailed for seven years. There seems to be something wrong with this picture. Why were they locked up? Ah; because they were observed preparing to leave the country with camping gear, and they were brought to admit that their plan was to attend a militant training camp in the Asian theatre.

The British jurisprudential system has just locked up two men for a thought crime. They have been cleared of the crimes they were charged with: Hazel Webb's desire for vengeance is misplaced as these were not the men who killed her daughter, nor were they in league with those men. Had they been, they've have been found guilty of actual crime. Instead, the Judge has chosen to send them to jail because they planned to visit a militant camp.

"You knew what you intended to do. Your intention was to attend a real camp and use real guns. This was not play-acting." -- Mr. Justice Gross

I disagree, Justice Gross. There is play-acting here, high political pageantry but it's not coming from the dock. This is vindictiveness from a British judge designed to soothe the savage brow of a woman wronged, by jailing men who are the same colour as those who wronged her: but not the same men.

This article can be found online at the Police State UK website at the following bookmarkable URL:

http://policestate.co.uk/articles/9