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UK armed forces ordered not to wear uniforms in public

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posted on Mar, 7 2008 @ 10:57 AM
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Sad state of affairs you guys have going on over there.

CNN: UK troops threatened for wearing uniforms


LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Royal Air Force commanders are urging more than 2,000 personnel at a base in eastern England not to wear their uniforms in public after the troops reportedly faced months of verbal attacks from nearby anti-war residents.

Commanders of a British air force base of London warn staff not to wear uniforms in public.

Airmen and women at the famous Wittering air base, located 90 miles north of London, have allegedly faced seven months of verbal attacks from residents living in the nearby cathedral city of Peterborough who oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


mod edit: added external quote tags, cut down quote and corrected link.

[edit on 8-3-2008 by UK Wizard]



posted on Mar, 7 2008 @ 04:21 PM
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It sad that people can not tell the difference between those who execute on Government policy and those determine the policy.

And if they object to the war, why can they not spend this energy hassling their MPs or leaders.

I, for one am proud of what the military are doing. I may not agree with the policy but our military are obeying orders.



posted on Mar, 9 2008 @ 12:44 PM
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Agreed. When my dad got back from Vietnam he was jeered, ridiculed, spit on, etc.

He enlisted because his little brother was drafted. He didn't want his little brother over there and if one son of a family was there they couldn't draft the other. He had no political agenda, no vested interest in war, no fascination with violence or death. He just thought he was better equipped to deal with the horrors of combat then his little bro. And for that he was called a murderer and much much worse.

If you disagree with policy, go after the policy makers. People who choose to serve their country don't say I'll serve my country when I agree with it, they simply serve their country. It's a sacrifice those who "complain" about it don't seem to understand.



posted on Mar, 10 2008 @ 05:17 AM
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Apparently, the abuse is coming from "certain" sections of "multicultural" Britain. Interpret that how you see fit....

Having said that, this isn't a first for the Military. During the troubles, personnel were told not to wear their uniforms in public anywhere in the UK and if you were unlucky enough to be posted in NI, then your family could not be seen leaving camp (we hid in the back of a Dodge Van when going shopping) for fear of reprisals and all personnel had to carry a sidearm on them, wherever they went.

This is an over reaction, to be honest, by the RAF. At any given time, you'll have "special interest groups" and hippies campaigning against War, but also you'll have the constant support of the majority of people for doing a difficult and dangerous job, regardless of how people feel with regards to the legality of said "War".

Personally, if someone attacks a member of the armed forces just "because", they should be punished to the full extent of the Law. Quite why the military has to hide is beyond me, but sums up the PC nature of the UK today.

I suspect this is more to do with not wanting to offend "certain groups" by "parading the military around", rather than protect personnel.



posted on Mar, 10 2008 @ 04:06 PM
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Perhaps your analogy with "the troubles" isn't so far off, since the UK does seem to be trying to come to terms with an internal nation that is openly hostile to its foreign policy and way of life.

What concerns me the most is the way that the people of the UK seem to retreat from every challenge, and every threat. I'm not talking about your armed forces here, they are as brave as any and braver than most, rather it's the national culture of appeasement that concerns me.

When the military is insulted, they are told not to wear their uniforms. In the US there would be a mass rally in this delightful town of Peterborough, with veterans of all ages in uniform - marching and flying flags, daring anyone to mess with them.

The residents of the UK just seem to hide away from this type of intimidation. I think we all remember how well that has worked in the past.

The perception of the UK in the US is slowly changing because of stories like this. I know that you probably don't much care, but it's interesting for me to watch long held social attitudes change. We all know that the UK views Americans as fat, ignorant idiots who shoot at anything that moves, but that has never affected the high esteem that most Americans hold the British in. Just look at the number of incredibly popular British TV hosts who make their living over here. Conversely, Americans are now receiving openly hostile treatment in the UK. A friend of mine recently returned and was shocked at how he was treated simply by virtue of being American. We expect this in many countries, but not the UK, and it is perhaps another aspect of the same behavior that has been handed out to these RAF servicemen and women.

It's all very sad really, it will be very interesting to see if and when there is a backlash in the UK. I can't help but think that the infamous words of Enoch Powell may soon be given a terrible reality.



posted on Mar, 10 2008 @ 06:28 PM
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reply to post by Retseh
 


But there has been widespread condemnation of both those who insulted the RAF personnel and those who ordered the RAF not to wear their uniforms. You don't have to look very far to see examples of this from both the government (the PM and the Queen have both expressed their concerns) and ordinary people. All of the press coverage I've read has been of a similar style, too. The details seem to be a bit thin on the ground, however... there's still no solid idea about who was abusing the RAF personnel in the first place.

I think it's an exaggeration that "the UK" (your words) sees America in such a negative light. The truth is that most of us don't - many British people may have issues with the US government and its foreign policy, but that's understandable given how close our two countries are (the UK generally gets involved in a lot of what the US gets up to). As someone who has visited the US half a dozen times so far (and I'll be visiting again later this year), I certainly wouldn't class myself as anti-American. I think the US is a great country... don't think I could live there but I certainly enjoy visiting and have met some wonderful Americans both here in the UK and online.

But there's a question I have to ask of you personally, Retseh... do you have something against the UK? I ask only because your comments that I've seen seem to be generally of a negative nature. See here, here, here and here. I'd be the first to admit the UK isn't perfect, but you seem to be overly pessimistic. Just curious to know why, I suppose.

By the way, don't feel the need to defend everything you've said in the threads I listed - I'd just like to know why you seem to have such a dim view in general.

[edit on 10/3/08 by Ste2652]



posted on Mar, 11 2008 @ 12:39 PM
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You ask a very valid question.

The social issues of the UK are significant to me largely because of one of my personal interests, namely the private ownership of firearms, generally referred to here in the US as RKBA (Right to Keep and Bear Arms).

Like many fellow firearms owners, we pay particular attention to the apparent social decline of the UK and try, perhaps unsuccessfully, to relate some aspects of that change, to the policy of firearms seizure, particularly in relation to crime.

I know this sounds terrible, but many of us use the UK and its liberal attitudes as an example of what could happen here in the US if our rights become privileges, which are then in turn revoked.

Pro RKBA individuals tend to point to the bigger picture of social decline in areas that have banned firearms, something that has been shown in the US as well, while anti RKBA protestors point to the mass shootings and high number of firearms related deaths that inevitably result from there being "lots of guns".

So yes, mea culpa, I do focus on the negative aspects of British culture, and use forums such as this one to challenge you, the residents, to tell me that it isn't really that bad, or that my logic is flawed. That way when I deal with those same issues with the liberals here in the US, I come well prepared with statements that are often prefaced by "Well here's what happened in the UK.......".

I see the UK as a nation divided between a shrinking population of very well educated, well behaved, but increasingly subjugated people, and a much larger population of what is perhaps best described as violent scum. I'm sure that many UK residents see the US as much the same but with guns.

Sorry, cards on the table and all that, but there it is.



posted on Mar, 15 2008 @ 02:40 PM
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I completely disagree with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is indeed a real shame that such a step has to be taken, Retseh.



posted on Mar, 15 2008 @ 03:42 PM
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Personally from what I saw about this it all seemed like a bit of a storm in a tea-cup.

It ought to be remembered that hardly anyone was involved in the criticism originally.

It's also the case that people like the Prime Minister, the local MP & the Mayor of Peterborough were all swiftly & very publicly out condemning those who criticised the service personnel and also the decision to ask service personnel not to wear their uniforms in public.

But I don't think the very fabric of British society collapsed over it all either.



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