mother of Anthony Fatayi-Williams, missing since last week’s terrorist attacks, gave a powerful and moving speech in London, broadcast in full on Sky News, also reproduced in full on their website.
Afterwards, Sky News’ Ashish Joshi reported that Mrs. Fatayi-Williams “reserved most of her venom, most of her anger, for the terrorists”, yet on the BBC’s lamentable One O’Clock News bulletin, their short excerpt of Mrs. Fatayi-Williams was used mostly to imply criticism of the delays in identifying victims of the atrocities. Whilst such criticism may well be merited, the main thrust of Mrs. Fatayi-Williams eloquent speech, as omitted from the One O’Clock News, was that:
“We know of New York, of Madrid and of London – there has been widespread slaughter of innocent people,” she said.
“There have been streams of tears and rivers of innocent blood. That is not the cause of God or Allah. God only gives life.”
BBC News Online’s coverage of Mrs. Fatayi-Williams was better than the One O’Clock News version, although curiously, whilst Mrs. Fatayi-Williams said “It is time to stop this vicious cycle of killing” towards the end of her speech, this line is reported at the top of News Online’s version of events (and is also included in the much abridged broadcast soundbite – see video clip, linked from the same News Online page). It’s just as well that we have Sky’s coverage to give us the full picture – both on TV and on the web.
Meanwhile, on the BBC’s subsequent local news programme, their cub reporters managed to have a good dig, with the help of a Muslim spokesman and a new Labour ministerial non-entity, at Lord Stevens (formerly Sir John Stevens), the recently retired Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, following his News of the World analysis, Young, clever… and British, in which, among other things, Lord Stevens says:
THE terrorists at the centre of the London bombing this week will almost certainly be British born and bred, brought up here and totally aware of British life and values.
Yes, I’ve heard pundits suggesting it could have been Algerian terrorists, or Moroccans, or various other nationalities. But that’s dangerous wishful thinking, a damaging illusion.
It is true that such international terrorists may have provided expertise, know-how or even possibly foot soldiers for this week’s onslaught. But essentially, sadly, this will almost certainly have been a home-grown operation.
I’m afraid there’s a sufficient number of people in this country willing to be Islamic terrorists that they don’t have to be drafted in from abroad.
We have already convicted two British shoe bombers, Richard Reid and Saajid Badat, there were the two British suicide bombers Asif Hanif and Omar Sharif who killed themselves in Israel, plus upcoming terrorism trials involving British nationals that I cannot discuss now for legal reasons.
I warned in these pages some months ago that there were up to 200 home-grown terrorists willing and able to slaughter innocents for their perverted view of Islam…and I got some stick for being so outspoken.
But today, after 7/7, I’ve absolutely no reason to change my mind.
I said in public what had previously only been discussed behind closed doors in Whitehall because I believe the public are entitled to the truth, that knowing it will help energise communities to fight back against this horror.
Given his recent experience, Lord Stevens is probably in a position to know what he’s talking about, whether or not that suits the BBC, their ‘new’ Labour minister or their Muslim spokesman. His analysis may prove to be wrong, but until we know for sure who was responsible for last week’s atrocities, it’s a bit rich of the BBC and their pet contributors to glibly dismiss his opinions without even balancing the piece with a counter view or a contribution from Lord Stevens himself. Rich, but not surprising.
Update, 4.27pm: Sky News are reporting that detectives believe four bombers died in last week’s atrocities, and that they are believed to have been born in Britain. Looks like Stevens opinions count for more than those of the BBC and its fellow-travellers.
Lord Stevens has said rather alot since retiring, much of it making sense. However, given that his five years in charge of the Met coincided with an explosion in the spread of that anti-British Marxism known as political correctness through the police, it’s a bit rich for him to suddenly find his tongue now.
I give him the benefit of the doubt, Pete. Maybe he’s had enough of all the crap going on inside the police force and wants to open a few eyes. Whatever his motivation – I recommend him for putting his views forward because people will listen to what he says.
I’d rather have the likes of Lord Stevens (Sir John, as was) running the Met again rather than the limp-wristed lily-livered p.c. PC we’ve got running the show now. Roll on the ennoblement of Lord Blair of Knacker, formerly of the Yard – maybe then we’ll get a commissioner who puts the victims (and potential victims) of crime before all else, assuming that such people haven’t been totally eradicated from the Met yet.