suprised there is no thread about the protest against our troops

[2shoes]

here
disgusting imo

I uphold the right to protest but this was ugly and, as has been said, totally misdirected. Protest about the war by all means. Don't insult and abuse the troops on this sort of occasion unless your motivation is to cause division and fuel extreme right wing agendas. Stirring up this kind of trouble is probably the real motivation behind this particular protest - there are other ways to target the politicians responsible - don't take it onto the streets a deliberately aggressive way. We are all lucky to live in a country where such protest is tolerated - don't waste your freedom of speech trying to damage community relations.

'If they were really holding up signs saying 'go to hell', that's totally off.'

They were, and worse.

It's hateful, and it's inciting violence and violent responses.

Nothing peaceful about it.

They certainly weren't linking arms singing Kumbaya.

I think it's disgraceful and what a joke to hear a Muslim community leader defending it this morning on R4 by saying that people should be allowed to say what they like in a democracy. Just look at the reaction from Muslims to those cartoons in Denmark, the fatwa on Salman Rushdie and a myriad of other examples tohighlight the hypocrisy of that statement.

i'd support there right to protest and don't think it was that misguided.
soldiers sign up knowing they might go to war it's not an unforseen consequence. i don't fully go along with the "it's not their fault/decision it's their job" because they know full well what their job will entail when they sign up. it's not as though they were signing up for an accountancy firm and all of a sudden were told to go and fight in a war. so if the council (or whoever organised the homecoming parade) decide to hold an event in a public area to show that they think what the soldiers have done is good and praiseworthy, it is only right that members of the public who object to the use of a public space for such a reason protest it. as long as they act within the law i don't see a problem with them targetting a public event praising the soldiers actions when they think what the soldiers have done is wrong.
i'd agree if it was a private event or the soldiers where simply returning home with no fan fare that then they should be left in peace.

But soldiers can't decide on the rights and wrongs of a war on case by case basis. That has absolutely nothing to do with them.

But soldiers can't decide on the rights and wrongs of a war on case by case basis. That has absolutely nothing to do with them.

i know the decision about who they go to war with has nothing to do with them. my point was simply that they know they might go to war without deciding who they fight, and my main point was that i do think a homecoming parade for soldiers to praise their work overseas is a legitimate target for anti-war protesters. as the protesters believe that what they are being praised for is fighting in an unjust war overseas.
to some of us they are just doing their job and are to be commended.to others who are antiwar or perhaps anti-military on the whole, they would never go and be involved in blood shed they didn't believe in because their "job" told them to, so to them the soldiers are just as guilty. because while the politicians might be the ones saying pull the trigger the soldiers actually do it and to some they can not understand how someone could do it no matter what authority was giving the order.

wether i agree with either side or not is beside the point. i agree with their right to protest and was merely disputing others assertations that it was an illegitimate or misguided target for such protests.

have you seen the news footage Pure hatred and antagonistic imho.

"have you seen the news footage Pure hatred and antagonistic imho."

no i haven't. and if what others have said that it was an attempt to incite violence then that is not lawful peaceful protest and i wouldn't support it.
i was responding more so to the debate at the top of the page regarding wether or not it was right to protest at all.
i don't think those banners would alone would constitute an incitement to violence as i'm sure things just as bad appear at anti-hunt or anti-war protests, but as i say there is no mention of who was arrested and under what circumstances. or wether or not they were acting aggressively.
however you have seen the footage so i'm happy to take your word for it that they were, in which case i doubt anyone would support them.
is there anywhere i can see it?

I don't see a homecoming parade as "praising their work overseas" rather as an acknowledgment of our debt to the armed forces that they are willing to risk their lives in order to protect this country's security. OK in this case, the war was wrong but that's irrelevant as far as the soldiers are concerned.

The protesters were hurling very personal insults and accusations at the soldiers concerned. They were not making broader points about the merits or otherwise of the war concerned.

The point is that soldiers go where they're told to go: Northern Ireland/Basra/ Helmand. We elect the government and one of the things we elect them to do is send troops at their discretion. If we don't like, we vote the government out.

You're wasting your time screaming at troops.
Have your protests outside Westminster.

major it was horrible and I am more usually to be found speaking like you on this sort of subject.I have spent many an hour trying to explain this to my parents who are at best ignorant and at worst a bit racist on this topic This display has done nothing for my argument

So this group of muslims were protesting about English troops murdering innocent Iraqui's?

Where were their protests against Sadam Hussein who murdered many inncoent iraqui's?

They aren't doing moderate Mulsims any favours, that's for sure. As per.

hmm was luton maybe they'll be ok in watford today

I haven't seen the footage either
just wondering about the idea that soldiers are only doing their job, going where they're sent, doing as they're told etc.....
vegetarians manage to not work in chicken factories
So how does a person who thinks it's wrong to bomb or invade the people of Iraq find himself in that job?
I have a problem understanding that

makes me really angry. i wonder if the americans would have allowed the same sort of demo when their soldiers were returning? i agree with protesrt but they went too far.

Well quite DrN

These people aren't protesting because of their commitment to ordinary Iraquis. They are simply against the West. Some because they are 'lefties' who have forgotten what the left is supposed to stand for. And some because they are radical Islmists (and are, ironically enough, lukewarm on democracy and the freedom of speech).

You know what, if you are against war (and I am, fwiw) then aim your protests at the right people - the government! They send the soldiers in. They decide. They are responsible. We do not and we CANNOT have armed forces or members of armed forces who say nah, we won't go there, or yeah, we're coming home now, or yes ok, we'll fight this one. Can you imagine? And we NEED armed forces (sadly), let's not be foolish enough to pretend otherwise.

So protest, yes - but aim it in the right direction.

You know what though - if the people who declared war, or decided to take it upon themselves to sort out another country, were the people who actually had to go there and fight themselves...there'd be no wars ever. It's much easier to send someone else out to risk their life.

just seen the news, there wasn't that many protestors and by being broadcast politicians will know about it.

one of the soldiers defended their right to protest. lucky we live where we do.

Quite disgusting, but what else do you expect from idiots like this.

Those men did their job, if people want to protest over the war aim it at Blair, Bush, Brown and Obarma, not the sons husbands and fathers that had to go and fight.

Also if these "people" think Basra is so hard done by they should f* off and live their, but they won't because if they protest there they would be shot.
Live here live by the rules don't like it bugger off. The women taking photos were just vile.

"but they won't because if they protest there they would be shot.
Live here live by the rules don't like it bugger off."

sorry i don't understand the last part of your post.
surely by participating in their right to protest they are living by the rules of here.
on the one hand you seem to be condemning the regimes in basra because someone trying to protest there would be shot, but in the next line you seem to be saying people over here shouldn't be afforded the right to protest because you don't agree with the manner of their protest.

you seem to be saying people over here shouldn't be afforded the right to protest because you don't agree with the manner of their protest.

That seems to be the case all round, we might not like what they are saying, but they do have the right to say it and we should defend their right to protest not call for the police to stop it.

That's part of the deal with basic human rights like the right to freedom of speech. Everyone is entitled to them, not just nice people.