I feel that I have to state that up front, so there is no confusion. And, in all that follows, there will be no excuses made, no justification provided. Because there are none.
Two days ago, the death was announced of Martin McGuinness. To some a hero, to some a terrorist, to some both. And to many a conflicted view of a man from both sides of a long running and bloody stain on our history.
Yesterday, although not definitively proved as yet, an apparent terrorist killed and injured police officers and members of the public in and around Westminster.
There are very obvious similarities between both protagonists, the main one being the totally unjustified attacking of innocent people.
The differences are pretty clear too. Whilst Mcguinness was extremely open during his paramilitary period as to his reasons for his actions, so far there is nothing concerning yesterday’s atrocity.
No doubt something will emerge, some indication of what drove the person to do what he did. And it will be invalid, unacceptable and fruitless.
But behind every act of terrorism, every innocent life stopped or damaged, there are instigators and followers.
What primes the instigators to see violence towards the innocent as justifiable is a question for another day. What can be addressed is what drives people to follow them.
And, whilst society cannot and should not be held accountable for the cruel and terrible behaviour of terrorists of any allegiance, there has to be an acceptance that to follow that path requires a significant push.
Whether rooted in the discrimination and disconnection of one section of the Irish population, or in the less clear-cut alienation of sections of the wider Islamic nation, there will be – real or imagined – tipping points. Points where the apparent options narrow to one, horrific choice.
Again, I am not apologising in any way for these actions, but if we do not ask why we will never see the end.
And the first step is to try to separate the led from the leaders. And to do that, again we have to ask why.
And when we discover that, by conscious or unconscious means, we have supported, or at the very least not opposed loudly enough, the actions that lead to this extreme disaffection, as a society we have to say enough.
There is another way. There is always another way. But it is not separation, isolation, jingoism.
So be aware and be warned Trump, May, Farage, Johnson, and your international mirror images. Self-serving nationalism and blind religious dogma breeds nothing but hate.
And feeds those leaders with the followers who leave sorrow behind them on a bridge in London.
cherokoffdotcom 