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It’s just acceptable is it ?

(229 Posts)
maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 10:04:36

Footage showing British soldiers shooting at a large photograph of Jeremy Corbyn as target practice. I hope TM and the Defence Secretary stand up in the House today and condemn it thoroughly.

Lily65 Wed 03-Apr-19 15:09:20

These sort of actions emanate from deep-seated problems which in this world of PC are kept suppressed !! No wonder there are millions of mental health problems/issues

I genuinely don't understand this comment.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 03-Apr-19 15:06:12

Baggs I have been chased up a country High Street by a Gaggle of Geese, if I had had a bow I think I may have used it.........they were vicious b***ers!!!!

Baggs Wed 03-Apr-19 15:05:21

Quite right, lem. It's worth remembering that the paras were shooting at pieces of paper.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 03-Apr-19 15:04:55

maryeliza I cannot give you my source, but I am sure you can go on line and find exactly the same information.

Baggs Wed 03-Apr-19 15:04:31

Especially wild boar. Think of Asterix!

Baggs Wed 03-Apr-19 15:04:14

Who knows what one would do in circumstances where one felt one's life might be at stake, jal? No, I've never been surrounded by boars and I'd be terrified if I were. They can be ferocious beasts.

lemongrove Wed 03-Apr-19 15:02:39

GG13 that info puts things in perspective.
These are soldiers practising shooting at targets and no doubt the poster of Corbyn was used as a ‘celebrity’ so they ended up shooting at that poster too.
A storm in a teacup. I would say that whoever the celebrity posters were of.

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 15:01:37

Well GrannyG can you please post the link to your 'research' please?

Anniebach Wed 03-Apr-19 14:43:07

I thought the same GrannyGravy .

GrannyGravy13 Wed 03-Apr-19 14:37:01

Having just done a little bit of research, these soldiers are in Kabul in a loft doing "VIP protection training", there were other pictures of celebrities, they were shooting "paintballs" at the targets in order to protect the individuals displayed in the photos.

At the end of the exercise the picture of JC was targeted.

Perhaps they are fed up with the fact that JC is all for prosecution of British Soldiers who served in Northern Ireland, whilst the para-militaries were released as part of the Good Friday Agreement?

The MOD has initiated an enquiry.

Anja Wed 03-Apr-19 14:32:24

Appalling. No justification whatsoever.

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 14:29:41

Noyvtrue ab at all -don’t judgd others by your own standards.

Jalima1108 Wed 03-Apr-19 14:24:22

Much as I dislike what Shamima Begum has done, I think that using her photograph as a shooting target for children as young as 6 - for fun - is equally abhorrent, if not more so. It is designed to stir up hatred in small children.

Soldiers should know better, children do not and this is poisoning young minds.

Anniebach Wed 03-Apr-19 14:23:48

Eleothan i would say the same no matter whose photograph was being used .

Pity this can’t be discussed calmly, but not possible because it’s a photograph of ‘the sainted one’ , if it had been JRM or
Johnson we would not have an outcry .

There was defence of the man who shouted at JRM’s children but Corbyn must be treated as a sacred cow.

vigdis Wed 03-Apr-19 14:12:37

Surely it's not a good idea to encourage combatants to politicise their targets?
And to the poster who attempted to justify the use of JC as a target, shame on you! Regardless of how much you hate the person whose politics oppose yours, to condone such behaviour is just wrong.
I loathe the politics of T May, JR-M... and Johnson, but would find it equally disgusting to use them as targets. Politicians of all stripes are under threat, and it is wrong to encourage violence against them - any of them.

Jalima1108 Wed 03-Apr-19 14:02:43

For context, I have shot arrows at a target displaying a boar. I wouldn't shoot one in real life
I would, but not for sport. Only in defence - have you ever been surrounded by them Baggs? It is quite frightening.. I didn't have a gun or bow and arrow handy at the time though.

EllanVannin Wed 03-Apr-19 12:56:13

Well it's certainly not a good example of highlighting what Corbyn stands for as it sets a precedence for further hatred to accumulate in those areas where Marxism exists and the social inequalities that go with it.

Not a good example as it only sets off those whose feeble-mindedness can quickly manifest itself into hate campaigns. It doesn't take much !!

These sort of actions emanate from deep-seated problems which in this world of PC are kept suppressed !! No wonder there are millions of mental health problems/issues.

trisher Wed 03-Apr-19 12:28:31

GG13 Interesting isn't it. People are saying it doesn't matter, that soldiers are not being taught to kill or being brutalised. Yet they need "Gallows humour" to get them through. Of course they are being both and for some at a far too young age. Which accounts for the number of them who on leaving the forces are unable to cope and end up as addicts and/or living on the streets.
I accept that the brutalisation is necessary, but don't think it should involve real people particularly politicians and as the images are chosen by those in comand not recognising a hidden agenda is just being blind.
I do have pearls by the way but tend not to clutch them they need re-stringing.

sodapop Wed 03-Apr-19 12:28:17

Yes I think you are right maryeliza professionalism is the term used in relation to the armed forces and this is not the behaviour expected of professionals.

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 12:28:16

Exactly Eloethan. And do you remember all the hugging and puffing on here about the DT baby balloon?

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 12:26:54

And once something is posted online, it can be seen as inciting violence - otherwise why post it?

Eloethan Wed 03-Apr-19 12:25:37

They presumably thought it was quite acceptable to do this and to film it, which in itself raises a lot of questions.

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 12:24:48

But the ‘eye’ saw it Baggs - what does that tell you about their professionalism and judgement?

maryeliza54 Wed 03-Apr-19 12:23:48

Professional standards of behaviour and discipline are essential with our armed forces. We give weapons of destruction to young (mostly) men and then sometimes put them into situations where they have to be both professional and disciplined in the face of many challenging situations. How they are trained underpins the standards they hopefully follow. It is not an acceptable part of that training for it be accepted that they behave in a politicised way. Neither is it professional or disciplined to film and post such unacceptable behaviour.

As for ‘gallows ‘ humour there are many professional groups who need to engage in this to cope with the stresses and strains of the job. This happens in safe spaces behind closed doors and is not ime filmed and shared. Any form of training is part of the job and professional standards and discipline should be observed during training.

Also given the rise in threats and abuse via social media , the assignation of Jo Cox, the just announced conviction of a far right extremist for planning to murder Rosie Cooper MP and the ugly scenes we saw on Friday, we should take all forms of behaviour like this extremely seriously.

Baggs Wed 03-Apr-19 12:02:32

Someone on Twitter has said in his usual succinct style: "Paras tho.... wtf do you expect?"

In a nutshell.

I think the reaction is overblown. I also think they were daft to film it. What the eye doesn't see....