These Brits!

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   No more glorification over Guy Fawkes 

Saturday September 24, 2005
The Guardian 

I wouldn't want anyone to think that I was glorifying an historical act of terrorism (Simon Jenkins: This is an act of censorship worthy of Joseph Goebbels, September 23), but does no one in government know the story of Herostratos, who, in 356BC, set light to the temple of the goddess in Ephesus so that his name might be perpetuated? Presumably to thwart his desire, the Ephesians made it a penal offence to utter his name, but, as this letter proves, the law defeated its object. 
Damien Bove
Barnet, Hertfordshire 

The biblical Samson was a terrorist, killing innocent civilians for political ends. Of course, his supporters thought of him as a freedom fighter. He was also a suicide killer. John Milton glorifies his acts in Samson Agonistes: 
O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious! 
Living or dying thou hast fulfill'd 
The work for which thou wast foretold 
To Israel, and now ly'st victorious 
Among thy slain, self-killed 
Not willingly, but tangled in the fold 
Of dire necessity, whose law in death conjoin'd 
Thee with thy slaughtered foes, in number more 
Than all thy life hath slain before. 
Will Milton now be banned? 
Prof Moshe Machover
London 
While Adrian Greeman is probably correct that under Charles Clarke's rules even the film the Great Escape would be banned (Letters, September 20), he is wrong in stating that the German officers at a roadside cafe were bombed - they were machine-gunned. James Coburn escapes the volley of bullets by taking a phone call and following instructions to duck, an action echoed in his later film Giu la Testa (A Fistful of Dynamite) in which he plays an IRA explosives expert on the run in Mexico and uses the catch phrase "Duck you sucker!". This great film would also be banned under Clarke's proposals. A greater loss, however, would be the film Spartacus.
Andrew Lynn
London 
So images that glorify terrorism are to be illegal. But what about the multibillion-pound industry through which western media conglomerates and militaries glorify the destruction of Islamic cities? Let us not forget that popular video games like America's Army and Full Spectrum Warrior - in which players command US forces to "fight for freedom" by assaulting Islamic or Iraqi cities - are actually produced by the US military. Or that Sony tried to register "shock and awe" as a trade mark a few days after the onslaught on Baghdad in April 2003. Shouldn't we also control the inflammatory tendencies in western media, too?
Prof Stephen Graham
University of Durham 
The UN cannot define what "terrorism" is, so what chance is there of parliament defining "glorification". Will we see Paul McCartney held in detention while the police try to find evidence that Give Ireland Back to the Irish exalts the IRA?
Gavin Miller
Glasgow 
Will we all now be imprisoned for celebrating Guy Fawkes' night? Need to know before buying any sparklers.
Bruce Reynolds
London

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Whisper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Male Joined: 25 July 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 4752	Post Options Post Reply Quote Whisper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: These Brits! Posted: 24 September 2005 at 10:49pm
	No more glorification over Guy Fawkes Saturday September 24, 2005 The Guardian I wouldn't want anyone to think that I was glorifying an historical act of terrorism (Simon Jenkins: This is an act of censorship worthy of Joseph Goebbels, September 23), but does no one in government know the story of Herostratos, who, in 356BC, set light to the temple of the goddess in Ephesus so that his name might be perpetuated? Presumably to thwart his desire, the Ephesians made it a penal offence to utter his name, but, as this letter proves, the law defeated its object. Damien Bove Barnet, Hertfordshire The biblical Samson was a terrorist, killing innocent civilians for political ends. Of course, his supporters thought of him as a freedom fighter. He was also a suicide killer. John Milton glorifies his acts in Samson Agonistes: O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious! Living or dying thou hast fulfill'd The work for which thou wast foretold To Israel, and now ly'st victorious Among thy slain, self-killed Not willingly, but tangled in the fold Of dire necessity, whose law in death conjoin'd Thee with thy slaughtered foes, in number more Than all thy life hath slain before. Will Milton now be banned? Prof Moshe Machover London While Adrian Greeman is probably correct that under Charles Clarke's rules even the film the Great Escape would be banned (Letters, September 20), he is wrong in stating that the German officers at a roadside cafe were bombed - they were machine-gunned. James Coburn escapes the volley of bullets by taking a phone call and following instructions to duck, an action echoed in his later film Giu la Testa (A Fistful of Dynamite) in which he plays an IRA explosives expert on the run in Mexico and uses the catch phrase "Duck you sucker!". This great film would also be banned under Clarke's proposals. A greater loss, however, would be the film Spartacus. Andrew Lynn London So images that glorify terrorism are to be illegal. But what about the multibillion-pound industry through which western media conglomerates and militaries glorify the destruction of Islamic cities? Let us not forget that popular video games like America's Army and Full Spectrum Warrior - in which players command US forces to "fight for freedom" by assaulting Islamic or Iraqi cities - are actually produced by the US military. Or that Sony tried to register "shock and awe" as a trade mark a few days after the onslaught on Baghdad in April 2003. Shouldn't we also control the inflammatory tendencies in western media, too? Prof Stephen Graham University of Durham The UN cannot define what "terrorism" is, so what chance is there of parliament defining "glorification". Will we see Paul McCartney held in detention while the police try to find evidence that Give Ireland Back to the Irish exalts the IRA? Gavin Miller Glasgow Will we all now be imprisoned for celebrating Guy Fawkes' night? Need to know before buying any sparklers. Bruce Reynolds London