Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Family of Jean Charles De Menezes May Sue

When you are shot eight times in public for doing nothing wrong it is hardly surprising that your family wishes to sue for wrongful death. I like the comment of the London Lord Mayor, Mr Ken Livingstone, that Mr De Menezes was a victim of the terrorists. Insert "police bungle" in place of "terrorists" and it would be a bit closer to the truth.

It appears that he was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder. Obviously he wasn't going to do anything as nasty again as run to catch his train. His lesson has been learnt.

Interesting, Cornelia Rau, an Australian woman with a mental illness who was caught in the backblocks and pretended to be a German while she was held in a detention centre and tried as much as possible to hide her identity, is suing the Australian Government for A$7.5m. I wonder how much Mr De Menezes' life was worth?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry who said: "Shoot first, ask questions later"?

Now it's the Israeli police, the British police and very soon the Australian police, because John Howard won’t deny that the Australian police have a similar policy/order.

Hammy said...

I thought that Clint Eastwood, love his work, only said, "Ask yourself one thing. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

It's not so much a policy if it is just copycat fashion. Has John Howard ever devised a policy?

"If you hang them all you get the guilty." Now, who said that.

Anonymous said...

Who wants to bet with me that back pack will very soon go out of fashion (in some country)?

The new fashion will be you use transparent bags, or walk hand free. (To avoid being shot).

Hammy said...

Transparent bags - I love the idea? Hilary Duff was photographed with a condom packet in her transparent bag. I think that it will take too much thinking for the average person to conemplate going into public with a transparent bag.

Nice idea though.

lori said...

My question is, why didn't the guy stop when the police ordered him to?

Anonymous said...

It's a bit to late to ask him now. Whatever reason he had I don't believe he deserved death for it.

What a high price for a big lesson for the rest of us:
1 If you have a back pack, don't run.
2 Now we know there are people out there who aims at the head whenever they suspect you are a terrorist.

Well the world is becoming like the world of the movies: this one is Judge Dred.

Hammy said...

Perhaps the terrorists will resort to using less obvious suitcases now, seeing as the backpacks makes you a target to the zealous security officers employed to safeguard our security.

Hammy said...

Lori, I would blame JIT management. Everybody does everything at the last moment and would pay little distraction to someone not in a uniform waving a gun in the air and yelling out, "Oi, you there! Mr Terrorist! How's about stoppin' and commin' darn the station wi' us?"