[halsinden]

the initial story:
Park attack victim loses fight for life - News - Rossendale Free Press

the deceased:


the recent progress:
BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Teenager admits killing in park

not conclusively sure why in particular this first story touches me the way it does, but i think it may perhaps be down to contemplating the utter torture that robert maltby must've gone through both during the incident and on waking from his coma, not to mention the family of sophie lancaster and those that knew her. i know neither of them personally (although my god does she ever look familiar), and i'm perhaps swayed by an empathy towards people who belong to a subculture i'm tenuously linked to receiving the injustice they had, whatever the case i feel vindicated to hear that the killer[s] has been caught and will be duly sentenced.

living in london, i see acts of brutality every day. i'm lucky enough not to encounter that much trouble myself (i'm either extremely lucky or ignorant to it if it i am actually threatened), but this kind of occurrence is a permanent fear of mine and looking the way i and my girlfriend beth do, it's something i'm potentially prone to regularly and most commonly, sadly, at the hands of juveniles who see themselves as being above the law or untouchable due to their age.


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the initial story:
TV executive faces jail in Dubai for barely visible cannabis speck - Middle East, World - Independent.co.uk

the recent progress:
BBC NEWS | UK | Man held for jet-lag drugs 'free'

as the loved-one of a friend of mine (mildred), diz and his situation made quite a mark not only on myself but on all who know him. i know his girlfriend better than i do him, but nevertheless - as with the above story - the idea of being on either side of the circumstances truly scared me.

i was in dubai only last summer and greatly enjoyed my time there, but was personally made extremely aware of how harsh their security enforcement is and how quick they are to bend the rules of humanitarian decency at will (i had an official who spoke no english walk out of the interview room i was temporarily detained in, taking with him my shoes and my passport, shutting the door firmly behind him. by all accounts, i had just become nobody).

cat is now back in the UK, and a benefit event to raise funds for his impending legal fees and other costs is being held on sunday march 16th from 7 until 11, at the bethnal green working mens club (E2 6NB) and at £6 entry.

H

[Drew]

That's absolutely fucked up. Do they know why these kids attacked the two?

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by Drew

That's absolutely fucked up. Do they know why these kids attacked the two?

It's a fact of life in most parts of the UK unfortunately...kids like that (and sadly they're everywhere) will pick on absolutely anyone who seems vaguely 'alternative'. Mostly it's just name-calling, but unfortunately, as this story shows, it occasionally escalates to ridiculous levels. On a similar note, there was a story in the paper recently about a 15 year old who was shot outside his school for being gay.

I remember reading about that first story when it first happenned. It encapsulates everything I hate about living in the UK, and human nature in general. There was a picture of her boyfriend at the funeral that was absolutely heartbreaking. As Hal said though, if you're going to dress outside what most people consider the norm you have to accept it's something you'll probably encounter.

Fuck, after the day I've had, this is the last thing I wanted to think about. I hate London.

[oompa]

whoa that is some sad reading really really sad

[metalfiend666]

That's terrible Why do these thugs feel they have to attack people for being different to them?

As for the drugs case, I'm staying well away from Dubai incase I tread on someone's joint butt on my way to the airport.

Originally Posted by distressed_romeo

It's a fact of life in most parts of the UK unfortunately...kids like that (and sadly they're everywhere) will pick on absolutely anyone who seems vaguely 'alternative'.

This is sadly something that comes all too close to home fo me. My fiancee was glassed at the club night I used to run about 2 years ago. The girl who did it eventually got a pathetic fine and 12 month suspended sentence. What made this rubbish punishment even worse was that she came from a family of habitual criminals, had previous convictions for GBH and had come out of prison less than a week before the trial!

[distressed_romeo]

BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Attack jury played desperate call

An update. No punishment's sufficient for the people who did this.

[metalfiend666]

It's exactly what I feared it was, an attack on innocent people just because they look a bit different

[kmanick]

WTF???
I thought this type of shit ended years ago.
My heart goes out to Sophies family, having a daughter of my own , I know
It would be devastated is something like this ever happened.
And then I would hunt them down myself one by one and make sure they each died a slow painful death.

the Whole Emo/Metal thing in Mexico is ridiculous.
Jesus don't these people have anything better to do?
I'm glad to see the human race has come so far over the last 50 years.
These Emos may as well be blacks in the south during the 50's and 60's or Jews in Germany during the 40's.
what's the difference?

[kristallin]

What the fuck is wrong with the world? It's the 21st fucking century, this shit ain't supposed to be happening anymore.

[Mr. S]

fuck i hate this country sometimes, there's a lot of prejudice against people who are deemed to differ from the mainstream, myself, i dress pretty normally (actually alot smarter than a great deal of people these days) but have really long hair and a semi long beard and i get disapproving looks from people, where as a chav who would knife someone for a small bag of weed/phone/ten quid wouldnt make your average passer by bat an eyelid.

Another thing i get pissed off at is interviews for jobs i attend and to get told to my face that my appearance isnt suitable for the job as they dont like to employ people with long hair, funny i dont see many chicks with shaved heads working for you? i can only assume you're a dick! [/rant]

but news storys like the above make me agree with my other guitarists sentiments for a cull of the stupid in this country