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It really is a tough fucking call, and i think that underlying this whole situation is the fact that both sides have become deeply entrenched in mistrust and anger - this makes it very difficult for anyone to remain rational.
I live in Ireland, but am apolitical. It's still very difficult not to (or at least to appear to) take sides when discussing anything to do with the troubles.
This situation in the Ardoyne area is very, very complicated...
On one hand, there's the simple safety aspect of it - if (for example) there happened to be a riot or a brawl broke out or there was a fire on the way to their school in the morning, surely the parents would have taken their children by an alternative route? Simply because the aggression (and violence) is of a political bent, why does that mean that they should jeopardise the safety of their kids?
On the other hand, these people have been living with this kind of intimidation for a long time. It's their fucking right to take their kids to school in the morning, it's the right of the children to go to school, and no-one should be able to take that away. Some of the parents are making a stand for their rights by bringing their children through the front way to school.
I think that's the whole reason for the thorniness of the debate here. The Loyalists categorically should not be subjecting the parents (let alone the children) of the Ardoyne to this kind of (or indeed any kind of) abuse. The fact remains, however, that they are.
It's a matter for the parents, then, to decide whether they want to take a stand against this abuse. But should innocent children be involved in this? Not being a parent myself, i have no idea how i would decide should i be in a similar situation.
A question worth asking, though - how many of the parents who brought their children the front way to school did so because they wanted to assert their human right to education, and how many did so to make a political point? I would say that most of the parents would fall in the former category, but...
The point has been made about the callousness of using children to send a political message, at potential danger to the children. I don't believe that, in most cases, it was that calculated - they simply wanted their children to go to school.
Apparently (heard from radio news last nite) - on Monday morning, none of the parents were expecting this type of thing to be happening, on Tuesday the police had changed their tactics, walking some of the children to school and forming a security corridor along the the route, and yesterday, the Loyalists changed their tactics to compensate. When there was a reduced police presence yesterday morning, that - combined with the more aggressive Loyalist plans - made it possible for this to happen. Most of the parents bringing their children that way thought that it would be (relatively) safe.
I think that no-one in their right mind would disagree that throwing pipe-bombs in areas where children are walking to school is sick, and a deplorable act. But, given the danger (politically-related or not), were these parents right to bring their children the front way to school?
I'm not sure exactly where i fall on that one. I have family near there, and obviously, i'm worried about them. I do, however, believe that no-one should be able to deny them their human rights.
I know it sounds hippie-ish, but if they'd all stop fucking about and perpetuating this atmosphere of hate and violence, it would remove that layer of argument from the whole debate - making the whole process easier for all concerned. These people (not Loyalists, not Republicans, just the people who advocate violence) are reprehensible scum.
[ 06-09-2001: Message edited by: johnny whatif ] |
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