[net.politics] It was Government Terrorism

nyssa@abnji.UUCP (nyssa of traken) (08/08/85)

The British government recently coerced the BBC into banning a television
program about Northern Ireland.

Leon Brittan, Home Secretary of Great Britain, asked that the special
be removed from the broadcast schedule because it depicted the IRA in
a humane light.

(People who know me know that I am vehemently opposed to the tactics
of the IRA.)

The board of governors of the BBC easily gave in to the government's
demands.  In response to that action, to-day the National Union of
Journalists (NUJ) staged a 24 hour strike.  I support this action
in defense of press freedom.

The final word of the documentary was:

(IRA supporter): There are causes where I support the use of guns,
freedom for Ireland is one of them

(IRA fighter):  All Ireland wants peace, the only way we'll have it
is when all the IRA is killed.

Harold Evans (former editor, "The Times", on "MacNeil Lehrer"):
	Mrs Thatcher has said that "Publicity is the oxygen of terrorism",
	well I say "Free Speech is the oxygen of democracy."

(The title of this posting is also a Harold Evans quote.)