I’ve read on a Brazilian website today that they are planning to make a movie based on the life of Jean Charles de Menezes, the poor soul that left us in 2005 after being mistaken for a terrorist.
When the shooting happened, we all over UK were so afraid, that any news regarding the threat was big news. So we kept with eyes on the news websites, alerts on the mobiles and anything which would help us cope with it.
Most people just wanted forget about it and move on, but there would always be those ones who want revenge, they want blood paying for blood – they wanted to see someone who they could blame for all this despair we were submerged in.
When after a few days of the bombings police shot Jean Charles dead I knew instantly they should not have done that.
Even if he was a terrorist, we don’t live in a country where death penalty is installed. We praise the fact the police does not carry guns and you can feel safe this will be the last of your worries - being shot in England. And I am not saying that in the sake of hindsight, I genuinely felt that way.
But my boss for example, rejoiced. She said “that is what the bastard deserves. Good”. I could not believe my ears. How could someone just say something like that? We didn’t even know if it was a bomber or not.
Things got worse the next day, when people now knew he was just a Brazilian worker. Still people would blame him for wearing the wrong jacket; running and jumping the barriers, if he had not to fear why wear a padded jacket in such warm day? Why run from the police?
The true is, give it a few more weeks, and everything came to light. Jean was wearing a jeans jacket. He did not run. He did not jump the barriers.
But people still believe nowadays the police did the right thing, if they had the slightest doubt he could have been a terrorist they had to go and shoot him. Some people (like my boss) still don’t know – and won’t believe ya when you say the contrary – he didn’t run OR jumped the barriers.
I keep thinking to myself. How can these people still defend the police force, when it could have been their son, boyfriend, husband, father who got shot by mistake?
Isn’t there a question which should be made why the police took so long to stop Jean, search and question him (oh yes, that is right – he took the bus before reaching the tube station – and he wasn’t stopped at all, they just came and shoot him – end of story). If he was really a terrorist, what are the chance the whole circus they generated could have ended lives anyway?
But no, the high-rank officer on duty that day was just promoted last month or so.
No one was brought to justice.
I hear rumours the family got a good compensation from the MET (metropolitan police) but is that enough? Know those who killed your son are walking free and could kill more is ever paid off?
I am happy Henrique Goldman is planning to do this movie. And they say Selton Mello will play Jean’s part. I love his work and I know if he is in it, it’s about 99% guaranteed it will be good.
And at least someone is making something about it all, not to let it “end up in pizza” as we say.
I wish I had the guts to follow all my ideas and start a good revolution, like in Brazil in the 60s and all the Rebel Years romance stories.
But I think I am either too lazy or too afraid to get out of my confort zone and do it.
Sadly, the only exit sign for the thoughts in my mind is this blog.
When the shooting happened, we all over UK were so afraid, that any news regarding the threat was big news. So we kept with eyes on the news websites, alerts on the mobiles and anything which would help us cope with it.
Most people just wanted forget about it and move on, but there would always be those ones who want revenge, they want blood paying for blood – they wanted to see someone who they could blame for all this despair we were submerged in.
When after a few days of the bombings police shot Jean Charles dead I knew instantly they should not have done that.
Even if he was a terrorist, we don’t live in a country where death penalty is installed. We praise the fact the police does not carry guns and you can feel safe this will be the last of your worries - being shot in England. And I am not saying that in the sake of hindsight, I genuinely felt that way.
But my boss for example, rejoiced. She said “that is what the bastard deserves. Good”. I could not believe my ears. How could someone just say something like that? We didn’t even know if it was a bomber or not.
Things got worse the next day, when people now knew he was just a Brazilian worker. Still people would blame him for wearing the wrong jacket; running and jumping the barriers, if he had not to fear why wear a padded jacket in such warm day? Why run from the police?
The true is, give it a few more weeks, and everything came to light. Jean was wearing a jeans jacket. He did not run. He did not jump the barriers.
But people still believe nowadays the police did the right thing, if they had the slightest doubt he could have been a terrorist they had to go and shoot him. Some people (like my boss) still don’t know – and won’t believe ya when you say the contrary – he didn’t run OR jumped the barriers.
I keep thinking to myself. How can these people still defend the police force, when it could have been their son, boyfriend, husband, father who got shot by mistake?
Isn’t there a question which should be made why the police took so long to stop Jean, search and question him (oh yes, that is right – he took the bus before reaching the tube station – and he wasn’t stopped at all, they just came and shoot him – end of story). If he was really a terrorist, what are the chance the whole circus they generated could have ended lives anyway?
But no, the high-rank officer on duty that day was just promoted last month or so.
No one was brought to justice.
I hear rumours the family got a good compensation from the MET (metropolitan police) but is that enough? Know those who killed your son are walking free and could kill more is ever paid off?
I am happy Henrique Goldman is planning to do this movie. And they say Selton Mello will play Jean’s part. I love his work and I know if he is in it, it’s about 99% guaranteed it will be good.
And at least someone is making something about it all, not to let it “end up in pizza” as we say.
I wish I had the guts to follow all my ideas and start a good revolution, like in Brazil in the 60s and all the Rebel Years romance stories.
But I think I am either too lazy or too afraid to get out of my confort zone and do it.
Sadly, the only exit sign for the thoughts in my mind is this blog.
4 comments:
Hi, there...
I was curious about this post because of the picture of Anos Rebeldes... I love this serie.
I think it's great to do a movie about reality facts but movies, in a general way, are always movies... the reality is transformed. Hero becomes a super hero. Bad guy becomes a very, very bad guy... it's sad!
And I always believe that we just know what they want us to know.
Kisses.
Luciana
Lu, very fair point to you, you are right. Jean Charles was working here on a fake visa after all. But I think more important than that is the fact that they doing this movie is a step ahead of trying not let it be forgotten.
In here they are trying to bury it and make it look was the right thing to do. I just hope the movie changes that view and makes everyone see it is not like that at all.
When you have a genuinely autistic grandson, as I do, and know just how distressing the condition is - well, remarks like those can seem very hurtful I'm afraid......
I Beatrice, I never, in any case meant it as a joke. I was just expressing my opinion that we IT professionals really must have some kind of condition which makes us less social or socially disfunctioned than normal people. It was just a reflexion and I didn't mean it as a "remark", but just wanted to make a point it is in a much low level, a characteristic of IT professionals must have. I am sorry if it sounded like something else.
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