I think you have shown a lack of grace in your arguing, and appear to have been more interested in forcing everyone to agree that you are right and winning the argument, than in finding any common understanding.
I have conceded many views to you, but even when I said your comments were beginning to upset me because I felt they were personal you never made any mention of this. Yes, I know you were in your full right to point out all the stupid things I have said, but would it really have hurt, or lessened your argument, to be a bit less harsh in your tone?
Its sad this guy has died needlessly it really is but I also appreciate that in light of recent events a decision had to be made that was a tough one and on the spare of the moment. As Englishman pointed out this guy does have to bear some responsibility for his actions; as far as his family taking legal action (which apparently they are considering) that to me is ludicrous, I feel for their loss and understand their anger but the police were not wholly to blame for this.
As far as a review of the shoot to kill policy again its a tough call but a suicide bomber will not care if he or she dies its about who they take with them that matters...and I personally would sooner have one dead person lying on the floor in a pool of blood rather than 50. If the police work within their protocols then they should not be held accountable.
Shoot to Kill is summary capital punishment. As goes with the capital punishment arguement..if you get the right person thats ok..get the wrong person and you have a real problem.
The Shoot to Kill policy needs clear guidelines and procedures so that we dont have a repeat of last Friday.
The Brazilian man shot dead by police in south London, who mistook him for a suicide bomber, had been in Britain on an out-of-date visa, officials say.
Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, may have run from police because of his visa situation, BBC correspondents say.
The electrician had come to the UK on a student visa, which allows people to work for a small number of hours.
Diamond Blue, the police would be better off accepting full responsibility than trying to put any blame on this man. They can come up with some excuse or other to help the police that carried out the act...thats to help them more than anything.They already know it was a massive cock up. But to try and defend the matter would make them look more stupid than they already do. The coat he was wearing and whether he should have stopped running, whether the officers shouted a warning are points not worth pursuing. When you are in a hole stop digging.
I am sure the family will pursue a case and good on them. The police put 5 bullets in his head for nothing so they pay, probably not a lot if he had no dependant family but it will be the principle more than anything.
The police put 5 bullets in his head for nothing so they pay,
No, that's not correct. The police put 5 bullets in his head because he left a block of 8 flats where they suspected terrorists of holing up.Then he ran after being asked to stop. He was wearing a very bulky jacket on a blazing hot day. Not only did he run away in a jacket that looked as thought it may be an explosive device, he then boarded a tube train. The police shot him dead because if he had been a terrorist they were sure as hell going to stop him from pulling the cord that would explode the device and kill them and everyone else.
To say the police are entirely to blame is just plain ludicrous. Of course, if there had been a bomb and it had exploded because the police hadn't shot him, then the people who are complaining now about what happened would be complaining about the police being inept because they hadn't shot him.
I think we need to give the police more credit, would any of you like to be in the situation, wondering whether to shoot or not?
They are doing such a difficult job and maybe this would be made a little easier if they thought the public could for once back them up and stop pointing the finger everytime a mistake is made.
Have you forgotten how well they responded after the initial bombings?
Or does that not matter now that its become apparent they are not perfect?
The coat he was wearing and whether he should have stopped running, whether the officers shouted a warning are points not worth pursuing
I think this contributed to the decision the police had to make and so therefore has to be pursued and is completely relevant to the issue as to lawful/unlawful death.
If he had have been a suicide bomber then I dont know anyone here that would think differently either and if you had been on that tube train then you wouldve been the first to thank the police for a job well done....he might not have been a suicide bomber but he sure was acting like one....what would you have done?
