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Question: Why all the sympathy for Jean Charles de Menezes!?
Has Britain truly become a culture where we punish the innocent, and forgive the guilty!?

Please see my pevious question
http://uk!.answers!.yahoo!.com/question/ind!.!.!.

He was in the country ILLEGALLY, he ran from armed police, despite warnings!. I have far more sympathy for the police who had to try and protect the innocent civilians on the train, than for him!. How do you think they must feel after doing their job!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I actually agree with you though this is very much an isolated case and is in no way an indication of anything happening in society!. The police would never shoot someone like that, it was during a time of heightened security following a terrorist incident in which many people died!. I believe they acted in accordance with that climate given the highly suspicious movements of Menezes on that day!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I grant you that he had overstayed on his visa, but that is not a capital offence in any country!.
Early reports of him jumping the ticket barriers were untrue!. I don't think that any warnings were given, on the basis that they would have allowed him to detonate the bomb they thought he was carrying!.
It was a tragic case of mistaken identity, following the devastation of 7/7 and it would not have been pleasant for any Tube Traveller to witness a summary execution!. The Police who fired the shots must live with that knowledge!.
What is ridiculous is the draping of the Brazilian flag on his coffin!. He did not die fighting for his country!. He was an Electrician!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You need to get your facts right!

Jean Charles de Menezes was in the UK legally on the day he was shot!. Having entered the UK from Ireland and being automatically given a three months visa!. Foreign Secretary, Jack Staw, has confirmed this!.

He did NOT run from the police!. He walked from the barrier and down the escalator!. He ran to board a train and sat in a seat!.

At no time was he challenged by the police, they simply pinned him to the chair and shot him!.

The officers were acting on false information, they did not see a bomb, the guy was wearing a denim jacket, so was not even wearing anything bulky!

Get you facts right before you comment on something you clearly know NOTHING about!.

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Hi!. He may have been here illigally but he didnt deserve to die!. However in view of the fact he was given repeated warnings he should have given himself up!. He must have been very scared!. The police had a very difficult decision!. They obviously were scared too and thought he was going to detonate a bomb!. Its a shame there wasnt a way to shoot to wound rather than shoot to kill!.(But in light of the suicide bombs shortly before they proberbly didnt think they had a choice!.) I think its very sad for everyone involved and i feel for all of them and their familiesWww@QuestionHome@Com

Since when has staying illegally in the UK carried the death sentence!?

The man is dead it was an accident so of course we should feel sympathy for him!.

Lets put this into prospective yes he was here illegally but he wasn't running anywhere - he was going to work!. We need to hold an inquest so we can learn from any mistakes that were made so they are not made again, it is not about punishing the innocent!.


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I think you are sick - from what I understand there were no warnings given!. He was unarmed, illegal immigrant or not he was innocent of any terrorist activity and this is what the police were after him for AND the police lied about the way they handled the shooting!.

So what you are saying is because he wasn't a citizen of the country his life is worth nothing!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Don't disagree with the illegal bit but equally shooting the guy in the head was well out of order!. If he had got anything bad on him he could have had a "dead man's" switch that set the thing off anyways!. Bad call as was proven by later transcriptions of what happened!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

He didn't deserve to be shot in the head 7 times tho!. You have more sympathy for incompetent police who shot an innocent man, that says more about you than the state of the country!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

The police were criminally negligent in their whole approach to this terrible incident!. Is the punishment now for entering the country illegally to be execution without trial!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

None here! Like you say he was here illegally and if he wasn't he wouldn't have felt the need to runWww@QuestionHome@Com

Knobhead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

illegally or not i don't think he deserve to be killed just for running from the police Www@QuestionHome@Com

The police did not know what they were doing and you are falling for the lies!. If you did your own research rather than rely on the mainstream media you'd know that he was not here ILLEGALLY as you put it, his visa had not run out!.

Even if he was here illegally although he wasn't does that give them a right to kill an innocent man who had done nothing!. Imagine if it was you who was shot with 7 bullets to the head for no reason I'm sure your family wouldn't get over it!. also why did the Police make up lies to cover up their crimes, no CCTV they said, he was wearing a heavy leather jacket they said, he jumped over the ticket barrier they said, all LIES, big fat lies!. Not forgetting to mention the bullets that were used to kill him are illegal under international warfare!.

Now if you want to slay a dead man then go ahead but just find out the facts before you go mouthing off and don't expect many to join you!. Most of ud are human with compassion towards other human beings!. I'm sorry that you are not so!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

He may have been here illegally, but that does not mean that he deserved to be chased by armed police simply because he happened to bear a passing resemblance to a known terrorist!.

I believe that the police overstepped the boundary by a long way when they chased this man, who was doing nothing wrong at the time, then shot him more than once, rather than firing a warning shot over his head or calling to him to ask him to stop!. This man was running because he was extremely frightened, not for any other reason, so a police officer who was doing his job properly would have asked him to stop and assured him that he would not be harmed - they simply wanted to question him about something!.

By the way, if they were trying to protect the civilians on the train, why open fire at all when they were on board!? It would have been far less dangerous, and far more sensible, for them to wait until he had got off the train before doing anything, as the other passengers would have been able to distance themselves from the incident, and would therefore have been less likely to be hit by stray bullets!.

The police have to accept some responsibility for this mess - if they hadn't been so gung - ho, then this man would have been able to identify himself, and if he was then found to be here illegally, he could have explained why he was here, and if necessary, deported to his home country, which would have been a much more satisfactory result than what happened!.Www@QuestionHome@Com