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| Britain |
| David Miliband: There are circumstances in which terrorism can be justifiable |
| 2009-08-19 |
| Foreign Secretary David Miliband was accused last night of condoning terrorism after declaring that there were circumstances in which it was ‘justifiable’. His remarks – made in support of the ANC’s armed struggle against apartheid in South Africa – were swiftly condemned by the Conservatives, who accused him of giving succour to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The military wing of the ANC carried out a number of terrorist attacks during its campaign, including the Church Street bombing in Pretoria in 1983 in which 19 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. Many of the victims were civilians. Mr Miliband was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives programme, in which he chose to pay tribute to the South African anti-apartheid activist Joe Slovo – a friend of Mr Miliband’s father, the academic Ralph Miliband. Mr Slovo, who shared Miliband senior’s belief in Marxist ideology, was one of the leaders of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed military wing of the ANC. Asked by presenter Matthew Parris whether there were any circumstances in which terrorism was justified, Mr Miliband said: ‘Yes, there are circumstances in which it is justifiable, and yes, there are circumstances in which it is effective.’ He added: ‘The importance for me is that the South African example proved something remarkable: the apartheid regime looked like a regime that would last forever, and it was blown down. It is hard to argue that, on its own, a political struggle would have delivered. The striking at the heart of a regime’s claim on a monopoly of power, which the ANC’s armed wing represented, was very significant.’ Last night, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said the remarks were ill-judged. He said: ‘Ministers must be very careful before advancing any argument that seems to legitimise terrorism in some circumstances. When so much of the efforts of our security services, and the sacrifices of our troops in Afghanistan, are devoted to defeating terrorists, this is hardly the time to argue that terrorism is sometimes acceptable.’ Mr Miliband, who appeared on the programme with Mr Slovo’s daughter Gillian, described fondly how, as an 18-year-old, he opened the door to Mr Slovo, who had turned up unannounced at the Miliband family home to discuss politics with his parents. Mr Miliband was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives programme, in which he chose to pay tribute to the South African anti-apartheid activist Joe Slovo – a friend of Mr Miliband’s father, the academic Ralph Miliband. Mr Slovo, who shared Miliband senior’s belief in Marxist ideology, was one of the leaders of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed military wing of the ANC. Asked by presenter Matthew Parris whether there were any circumstances in which terrorism was justified, Mr Miliband said: ‘Yes, there are circumstances in which it is justifiable, and yes, there are circumstances in which it is effective.’ He added: ‘The importance for me is that the South African example proved something remarkable: the apartheid regime looked like a regime that would last forever, and it was blown down. It is hard to argue that, on its own, a political struggle would have delivered. The striking at the heart of a regime’s claim on a monopoly of power, which the ANC’s armed wing represented, was very significant.’ Last night, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said the remarks were ill-judged. He said: ‘Ministers must be very careful before advancing any argument that seems to legitimise terrorism in some circumstances. When so much of the efforts of our security services, and the sacrifices of our troops in Afghanistan, are devoted to defeating terrorists, this is hardly the time to argue that terrorism is sometimes acceptable.’ Mr Miliband, who appeared on the programme with Mr Slovo’s daughter Gillian, described fondly how, as an 18-year-old, he opened the door to Mr Slovo, who had turned up unannounced at the Miliband family home to discuss politics with his parents. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #3 Marxist A-Hole: Born in London, David Miliband is the elder son of Polish-born Marion Kozak and the late Belgian-born Marxist intellectual Ralph Miliband |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2009-08-19 19:45 |
| #2 "David Miliband: There are circumstances in which terrorism can be justifiable" Sure there are - starting with your home-grown Taliban-lite blow up your worthless ass. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-08-19 19:45 |
| #1 > David Miliband: There are circumstances in which terrorism can be justifiable I agree, it's getting rid of Britain's Gramscian shits. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-08-19 19:01 |