Thursday 7 January 2016

melee oder countermeasures

While the cadets of the Anti-Terror League are working to maintain order and accountability (somewhat in over-drive, being ignorant of the Boy who Cried Wolf troupe), the New Year’s Eve violence and harassment that was visited on revellers in Cologne (Kรถln), withheld from the public under a self-imposed media blackout, and the delayed and ridiculous official response, in stark contrast, demonstrate that terrorism does not only involve guns and bombs. The Burgermeisterin, who was rather propelled into office after being stabbed during the mayoral elections by an individual who vehemently disagreed with her stance on accepting refugees, offered a rather tepid piece of advice (opening herself up to attack) to scores of women who found themselves kettled groped, robbed and raped in the chaos of the celebratory night, to keep stranger-danger at arm’s length (Armslรคnge)—as sound and helpful as Duck and Cover.
A state-sponsored broadcaster is also under fire for its editorial decision to practise self-censorship and not report the incident until several days later, arguing that the news would incite more of the nascent fears, stereotyping and scapegoating of the newly arrived masses of refugees—given that the coordinated perpetrators were identified as such. It certainly does fuel the outrage and angst, and seems to me to blame the victims and exonerate the offenders. It has been argued that the Cosplay Caliphate relish such division and distress and want people to feel that refugees are an assault on Western lifestyle and culture so more of the alienated and disenfranchised will fight for their cause. Now—however, I’m not sure what to think. It is scary and defies good-governance—above and beyond protection and defence but down to the fundamentals of civility and security. That awful and polarising term no-go zones is even being thrown around, going far beyond welcoming and accommodation to question going out in public. Vigilance, I think, does not make such demands.