Say what you may about 'Red Ken', but this man doesn't shy away from saying what he thinks... http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050922-120510-5493r London mayor: Terrorism can be justified By Hannah K. Strange UPI UK Correspondent Published September 22, 2005 LONDON -- Acts of terrorism are sometimes justified, London Mayor Ken Livingstone said Thursday. There was often no other way to fight oppression than using "the assassin's bullet or the assassin's bomb," he added. Speaking at a London news conference, Livingstone, labeled "Red Ken" for his outspoken and often controversial political views, said he had known terrorists whom he viewed as "courageous and principled." Asked by United Press International whether he supported the British government's plans for new anti-terror legislation, announced last week, Livingstone said he was concerned the proposed offense of "glorifying terrorism" was very hard to define. "It is very easy for politicians in the west to make these random denunciations of terrorist attacks, but then I have known terrorists that I viewed as courageous and principled," he said. Livingstone cited the example of a German Jewish friend whose job in the German Communist Party had been to kill Nazis. "He knew how to make bombs, and he went and planted them, and he blew up Nazi Party headquarters. And the day they came to power, the central committee of the German Communist Party ordered him to leave Germany because his life then under immediate threat....He came to Britain, joined the Labor Party, was an active, good socialist. "Now there's a man who took a decision to kill, and I think it was right. I hope I would have had the courage to join him in that. "But what do you say today to someone in Uzbekistan, where you have a monstrous and oppressive regime which casually dismisses the lives of its people, a corrupt regime hanging onto power?" Referring to demonstrations in Uzbekistan earlier this year during which security forces opened fire on civilian protesters, he asked: "What option is there for someone who wants to see freedom, justice and democracy in Uzbekistan, other than to remove from power the people that keep that country in the grip of dictatorship? "I see no way other than through the assassin's bullet, or the assassin's bomb. "Therefore how do you get the dividing line between all these different groups? It's going to be very difficult." It was very easy for us in the West to pass judgment, he continued; "We're not suffering under the Uzbek dictatorship." Under the proposals, glorifying terrorism, indirect incitement to terrorism and dissemination of extremist literature are to be outlawed. New offenses are also to be made of acts preparatory to terrorism and giving or receiving terrorist training. Police have also requested an extension to the period they are able to hold suspects without charge; from 14 days to three months. No one was going to object to anti-terror legislation that stopped "a couple of mad people claming to be leaders of Islam," he said. Although such people had few followers, they were able to infect susceptible young minds, he continued, "and it only takes three or four people to be infected in that way to lead a loss of life." However such powers had to be drawn up extremely tightly, he said, and should not be decided simply by politicians but should be subject to judicial review. If detention without charge was to be extended, it should be supervised by a judge, to whom a defense lawyer could make representations, he added. Livingstone also said the legacy of the Iraq war would be the dispersal of thousands of trained terrorists around the globe. Asked by UPI when British troops should leave Iraq, he said: "As rapidly as possible." The mayor said that despite his initial opposition to the war, he had hoped that after the fall of Saddam's regime, some "Arab variant of democracy" might emerge. "However we are likely now to (end up with) a worse regime, perhaps a fundamentalist Shia regime in which the advances women have made in Iraq are all rolled back, or a civil war. "What we've certainly now got is the most effective training ground for terrorists anywhere since the end of the Afghan war (against the Soviets). And when that comes to an end in Iraq, they will disperse to the four corners of the earth, thousands of them. That is that legacy." The current conflict in Iraq was inevitable because the politicians who planned the invasion had ignored the advice of the military, he said. The Pentagon advised President Bush that to effectively invade and control Iraq would require 500,000 troops, he noted. However the administration had shied away from such a figure due to fear of losing popular support, and had instead deployed just 150,000. Likewise the Bush administration, due to its desire for Iraqi oil, had sent U.S. troops immediately to guard oil installations, neglecting hospitals and vital public installations, he said. "The result was absolute chaos, the collapse of infrastructure, widespread looting and effectively the nightmare we now have. "If you're going to invade a country...at least you could actually mobilize some resources and go and do it properly." Livingstone dismissed suggestions that as the capital's mayor he should refrain from making overtly political statements. As the mayor of a major world city, he said, it was important to be engaged with international events that affected us all. Asked if he stood by a past statement that the Saudi royal family should be hung from lampposts, Livingstone said the human rights abuses, support for terrorism and corruption of the House of Saud meant he "longed for the day" when it was overthrown, though this was up to the Saudi people. However he feared that such an event might not be the progressive-led transformation that it might have been in the 60s or 70s, but involve the imposition of a more hard-line version of Wahaabi Islam, which he did not favor. Pressed on his criticism of the Israeli government, Livingstone said criticism of any government that was "based on ethnic cleansing" was "absolutely valid." "Sixty years on, still the people that were ethnically cleansed from their lands have not been allowed to return. Forty years on the illegal occupation of the West Bank continues to disfigure politics... I have to say I think my criticism is absolutely valid." He had been no ruder about the Israeli government than about successive British governments, he said. "Criticism is good for governments, they don't get enough of it."
Not all Jews necessarily support Israeli govt. actions though.....I have some Jewish friends who are very strongly pro-Sharon and others who think Shimon Peres is too much of a hawk...
Oh I know, I was just joking around. In fact, there are some Jewish groups that don't support the very existence of Israel. I was surprised to learn this a few years back, but it's true.
