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good leader in the Guardian today
Jul. 8th, 2005 03:05 pmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523653,00.html
"...the main stories of London on July 7 2005, are not merely of individual tragedy, but also of individual heroism and bloody-minded determination. "
"Less than 24 hours before the bombs went off, London won a golden accolade from the rest of the world because it offered them an Olympic Games based on hope and inclusiveness towards all races, creeds and nations. As Ken Livingstone said yesterday, these bombs were a direct assault on that noble and admirable vision. This was not an attack on the rulers or the powerful. It was, as the mayor and the city's faith leaders all said in their different ways, an attack on ordinary Londoners, men and women, young and old, black and white, Christian and Muslim, Hindu and Jew who all abhor such violence. The Chief Rabbi surely got it right when he said yesterday that the bombings were the rage of the angry against the defenceless and the innocent. Yet the important thing was that rage was not met with rage. London has won the Olympics because it is an open and tolerant city. The way Londoners responded to the vicious attacks on them has vindicated the Olympians' confidence."
"This is a conflict of values. But it is not just the contrast between the hate of the terrorists and the labours of the world leaders that will turn the tide. It is the contrast between the anger of the terrorists and the decency of ordinary people, as Londoners so powerfully showed yesterday."
"...the main stories of London on July 7 2005, are not merely of individual tragedy, but also of individual heroism and bloody-minded determination. "
"Less than 24 hours before the bombs went off, London won a golden accolade from the rest of the world because it offered them an Olympic Games based on hope and inclusiveness towards all races, creeds and nations. As Ken Livingstone said yesterday, these bombs were a direct assault on that noble and admirable vision. This was not an attack on the rulers or the powerful. It was, as the mayor and the city's faith leaders all said in their different ways, an attack on ordinary Londoners, men and women, young and old, black and white, Christian and Muslim, Hindu and Jew who all abhor such violence. The Chief Rabbi surely got it right when he said yesterday that the bombings were the rage of the angry against the defenceless and the innocent. Yet the important thing was that rage was not met with rage. London has won the Olympics because it is an open and tolerant city. The way Londoners responded to the vicious attacks on them has vindicated the Olympians' confidence."
"This is a conflict of values. But it is not just the contrast between the hate of the terrorists and the labours of the world leaders that will turn the tide. It is the contrast between the anger of the terrorists and the decency of ordinary people, as Londoners so powerfully showed yesterday."
