A thoughtful tribute to 10 black lives that mattered, but were murdered by terrorists

They have without embarrassment breached social distancing in a way that no-one else would be allowed to do, and have — if scientific advice is to be believed — run the risk of helping to create waves of infections.

The killing of George Floyd was utterly shameful, but this has filled the protestors with a moral superiority, and they think lockdown rules to do not apply to them.

In multiple locations (and it is mostly western nations because in normal times it is western nations that allow the greatest freedom to protest in public) they have been indulged by police forces.

The PSNI did significantly toughen up its feeble response to Wednesday’s protests, which were given immunity, and has fined some of those who at the weekend broke the law in a calculated fashion. But even so, it is hard to envisage, for example, loyalist protests having been handled so softly at this time.

At least the protests in Northern Ireland were peaceful.

In London and Bristol, there were scenes of disorder by foolish people who think that you can judge people who lived many decades, even centuries, ago by today’s standards.

Among those they denounce are Winston Churchill, who played such a central role in defeating Nazism — a force so evil that it executed thousands of people who so much as spoke up against Hitler. How many of the young demonstrators have even heard of the White Rose Group of students who were beheaded just for handing out anti Nazi leaflets?

Amid this idiocy, and in some cases thuggery, a group that represents victims of terrorism pays tribute (on page 6), to 10 black lives, eight soldiers and two civilians, that mattered but were murdered by republicans.

As Kenny Donaldson writes, they were heroes who played their part in preventing civil war here as servicemen, or heroes in a civilian situation.

Some of them joined the British Army 50 or more years ago when society often was difficult for ethnic minorities in ways that it rarely is in the UK now.

What a thoughtful message at this time of gross inconsistency, as to obeying prohibitions of more than six people, and of great historical ignorance.

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