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August 27, 2004
We will not be wearing black armbands
After the murder of an Italian reporter, much outrage was expressed in Italy and elsewhere. And I'm all for outrage over such vicious acts, but the hypocricy here is so apalling that it's hard to know what to say. Where is the outrage over hundreds and hundreds of deaths in Najaf? Where was the outrage over Fallujah? Will anyone bring this up in this weekend's protests in New York?
I think Iraqi soccer players' refusal to wear the black armbands that the Italians are wearing is quite appropriate. I'm usually for ignoring the hypocricy and doing something simply because it is the right thing to do, and it is certainly right to mourn and protest murder, any murder. But the message here is that your dead by the hundreds simply do not count but you must join us in outrage over even a single one of ours:
Iraq's footballers have refused to join their Olympic bronze medal opponents Italy in donning black armbands as a mark of respect for murdered Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni. The reporter was executed by an Islamic group in Baghdad on Thursday in an act widely condemned throughout the world.Iraq and Italy meet in Salonika on Friday for the bronze medal but Iraqi coach Adnan Hamd said that his team will not wear black armbands although he said he respected the Italians' wishes.
"We will not be wearing black armbands. The Italians will be and we respect their choice," Hamd said.
"We regret the death of the Italian journalist but it's necessary also to think of the hundreds of Iraqis who have died each day during resistance to the occupation.
"It would be necessary to wear an armband every day. We sent a message to the kidnappers to free the journalist but sadly it was in vain."
Yeah, really, why do they hate us?
As I write this, Italy is leading 1-0 with 10 minutes left to play.
Posted by zeynep at August 27, 2004 02:55 PM
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Comments
What a fine commentator on the daily actions of empire is Iraqi coach Adnan Hamd. Everything out of his mouth is masterfully apropos. Does anyone else fear for him once he gets back to Iraq and in the sights of the Coalition (are we still calling it that) authorities who surely deplore his truth-telling these past two weeks. I haven't been following the actual events; have the Iraqi athletes won any major medals (which of course is the only thing the corporate media cares about)?
"It would necessary to wear an armband every day." Oh, yes.
Posted by: catherine at August 27, 2004 06:56 PM
The Naomi Klein article which you have linked is an excellent one. It is also posted on Common Dreams today. If Berlusconi were serious about his vow "to combat terrorism wherever and in whatever form it manifests itself," he would have to begin by resigning his own post as the heavy-handed and fascist Prime Minister of Italy for his terrorist activities in dealing with dissention in his own country. His use of state terrorism against WTO protestors in Genoa in 2002 was as criminal a response as any act of so-called terrorism that has occurred since then. There is so much hypocrisy among political leaders in so-called western democracies that it does make one's head spin to contemplate such matters.
The message does seem clear here that the death of one western journalist is more important than the deaths of thousands of Iraqis. Accordingly I agree that it would be totally inappropriate for the members of the Iraqi soccer team to wear black arm bands to honor one dead Italian journalist while the Italian government fails to appreciate the devastation that Italian coalition forces in Iraq help to bring upon the Iraqi people by this illegal occupation.
Sincerely,
Old & In The Way
Posted by: Phil Cicchi at August 27, 2004 07:49 PM