Soldiers in Afghanistan were filmed shooting at a poster of Jeremy Corbyn
Soldiers having a laugh? Or a serious threat to democracy?
The Ministry of Defence said it has launched an urgent investigation after a video appeared on the social media showing members of the Parachute Regiment at a firing range in Kabul, shooting at a poster of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Here’s the footage:
Video has emerged of soldiers on a shooting range in Kabul firing at a target of Jeremy Corbyn. MOD confirms it as legit: pic.twitter.com/qOr84Aiivj
— Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) April 3, 2019
Here’s the MoD’s response:
I’m told there are simulated paint rounds, not bullets. But “this is a terrible look” as one senior defence source just said to me.
— Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) April 3, 2019
Mr Bunkall also tweeted that there are images of “other celebrities” on the range, but as VIPs to be protected, rather than targets.
The footage raises serious questions as it suggests that members of the UK’s armed forces are being trained to consider one of their own political leaders as an enemy.
We need to know who authorised it and why, and we need to know what the soldiers who fired at the poster thought was the aim of the exercise.
Of course, it seems likely they’ll all just claim that it was ill-judged humour – but was it?
At a time when the Labour leader has already suffered one assault, other politicians have received death threats, and less than three years after the Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered, the possibility of our own military being trained to consider him an enemy could be considered a critical threat to the UK’s democracy.
What will happen when Mr Corbyn finally becomes prime minister? Will the military turn on him?
These are questions that should be unthinkable, but the video revelation makes them absolutely necessary.
It seems to This Writer that any UK soldier, firing on even an effigy of Mr Corbyn, is a potential security risk. They should be trained to defend all UK citizens, and any member of the armed forces who cannot do that – for whatever reason – should be drummed out.
And how many others are carrying out similar exercises in which they attack Mr Corbyn in effigy?
I fear this video may be only the beginning of the scandal.
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It all makes sense. Jeremy was instrumental in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, this meant a large knock back of soldiers overtime so they struck back. But of course, the right wing runs the army so what more could you expect, especially as Mr. Corbyn is the hero of the hard working Working Class, who the right wing hate (As is proved by the way they are automating workers jobs) so, the only thing I cannot understand is why the whole working class sector have not voted out all of the right wing MP’s. Could that be something to do with the way the Tories just love moving the political boundaries around?
I do not believe for a second that these squaddies sourced – in Kabul or shipped it over – ordered, paid for and installed this target. Not a chance in hell.
Corbyn is a known terrorist sympathiser. He thinks you can negotiate with them, and if you love them too, they won’t attack us. Bit deluded really. On the one hand, I like his stance on the sick, disabled, unemployed, poor and elderly, but on the other, as I said, he’s a tad dangerous. There is no doubt he is a caring man, but his belief Islamic terrorists and others, being ultimately good, or made good, is a fantasy. Shame really.
I think you are labouring under a delusion. Mr Corbyn does not. He is not a terrorist sympathiser. You need to look up some facts.
Politics in this country has moved so far to the right this isn’t seen as dangerous when it should be. If the army in its very limited numbers today was to force a coup it would likely mean civil war. We are disarmed but in ‘The Art of War’ General Sun Tzu said, “Fire is our greatest ally.” With that and ambush and many other tactics and weapons the too-few police and army will end up losing their firearms to us. They will arm us.
Very sinister. Personally I’d rather use a picture of IDS for target practice.
Nobody real at all, please. You know I have no love for Mr Duncan Smith but I want him brought to justice, not shot by a squaddie.
In May 1974, Protestant Loyalist extremists (the Ulster Workers Council) organised a strike against a Peace Agreement that, in their opinion, gave too much away to the Catholic minority in the north of Ireland. Their efforts , including armed gangs and barricades across main roads , would not have succeeded without the deliberate actions of the British Army in refusing to take any action to thwart the intimidation.
The 1974 Labour government of Harold Wilson had supported the peace agreement organised by the previous Tory government of Edward Heath. But the whole arrangement was overthrown by the power of the Loyalist UWC which, when faced by British officers politely asking them to remove their barricades at certain points along major roads ,would simply move them a few hundred yards to the next junction which was not the subject of the British Army’s specific orders.
In other words, when it came to defending a major plank of a British Labour government’s manfesto, British soldiers blatantly ignored their instructions and their duty to the government, and allowed armed, far-Right thugs to dominate the streets.
Because of their refusal to take on the Loyalists on the streets (can we imagine what would have happened if Irish Republicans had tried to set up barricades and had marched around carrying weapons!) the British Army ended an attempt at a compromised peace deal and prolonged the war in Ireland for decades, leading to hundreds more deaths and injuries.
A valuable lesson in understanding the role of the British state machine when the situation is sufficiently grave. It is also instructive to note that Harold Wilson, then Labour leader, refused to discuss this horrifying bias in the actions of the British Army but was reduced to lamenting the apparent strength of Ulster Loyalist opinion, never mentioning that their power on the streets actually relied on the tacit collaboration of British troops.
Things haven’t changed . Using Jeremy Corbyn as a target is not an aberration. It is part and parcel of the authoritarian British military mindset.
after the forces depletion by the present govt i am both shocked and surprised at this. depletion of our armed forces means those who are left are at increased risk with fewer soldiers etc to do the job larger groups used to do. its time all this stupidity stopped and people realised that at present we have no real govt .only one intent on driving this country and its people into the ground,including the forces.police, nurses, doctors as well as others and the only way out is an election with hopefully a decent lot in power. Mr Corbyn is not being given a chance to prove his mettle, but is being condemned out of hand before hes even set foot in number 10 as our PM.let alone won a GE. how does anyone actually know what sort of PM he would make if hes not allowed to try? no one guessed Mrs May would turn out as she has but shes been given several chances.