The Paris March For Peace

Monday 12th January

There are moments, maybe far too rare, but all the more important for that, when people come together, almost unheeded and totally unstoppable to stand united against hatred and violence and intolerance.  And alongside ordinary people there were over forty world leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu and the Leader of the Palestinians as well as most European leaders.  Maybe some were there for the photo-opportunity, maybe some had been embarrassed into attending – but attend they did.  And it was heart-warming to see so many (over a million) young people, so many second and third generation Muslims, so many French and so many from as far away as Brazil and India.

The last time I saw such a march was when I attended the big anti-war march in 2003.  And maybe we weren’t successful that time but that feeling of intense togetherness was truly moving.  Of course, looking back – if only we had been successful and there had been no war in Iraq (though America would probably have gone in alone anyway) then we wouldn’t be in this situation now.  Inadvertently I am sure we (the West) have created, or helped to make credible the current crop of Islamic radicalism.  Every time we invade another Muslim country, every time we agree to join in bombing raids, every time we stand and do nothing when Gaza is attacked – all of these, possibly rational decisions, simply inflame the situation.  There is a large war going on between the Sunni and the Shi’ite interpretations of Islam – possibly much like the Religious wars between Catholic and Protestants of a few hundred years ago in Europe.  We have no place in that, we cannot and must not take sides.  We must re-interpret the meaning of Defence to be the physical Defence of our country and the Defence of ideas and our way of life within our own borders.  We must stop killing people (and they have been almost all Muslims recently) abroad and talk to our enemies instead.  Yes, even to those who would try to kill us.  You cannot kill an idea with bombs, just as those gunmen in Paris could not destroy Liberty and freedom of expression with Kalashnikovs.  Vive La France, Vive Charlie.