Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Britain's Muslim community is providing "considerable support" to counterterrorism agencies, the head of the London police, John Stevens, said yesterday.
| Selling out the Boyz, are they? So, what else do you have to say? |
Stevens spoke out against targeting any specific community in countering terrorism. There was "much talk of Islamophobia" he told newspaper editors at a conference in the northeastern English city of Newcastle.
| "But, really, Lutherans and Unitarians are just as likely to cut people's heads off. Especially the Unitarians, damn them! You just don't hear about it as much..." |
He called for distinction between "the actions of a minority and the beliefs of a majority".
| "There's a distinct difference between those who believe in cutting off heads and those who actually do it..." |
"It is vital to all of us that we maintain the confidence of British Muslims and we challenge every inaccurate perception," he said.
| Ummm... I think he got that backward. Shouldn't it be British Moose limbs who should be trying their damnedest to to maintain the confidence of Britons? |
Britain has a Muslim community numbering between 1.5 and 2 million. "I cannot give you details of the support that has been given by the Muslim community, but I can say we have had considerable support. That is why I will be running around to the mosques thanking them and encouraging them to give us more," Stevens said.
| "Can't toss the bastards in jug unless you can find them, and you can't find them without help from the Mohammedans, 'cuz they regard the rest of us as infidels. So we have to be polite. For now." |
Stevens, who as head of the Metropolitan Police coordinates national counterterrorist operations, drew criticism in March last year when he said a terror attack on London was "inevitable". He made the comment while sharing a platform with London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who added it would be "miraculous" if the British capital were to escape attack. The two were speaking soon after the Madrid train bombing. Stevens said that since his comments with Livingstone, calls from the public regarding terrorism had risen from 20 a day to almost 200.
| Guess he got people's attention... |
The Metropolitan Police had scored successes in the fight against terrorism but could not publicize its achievements, he said. "I would like to climb up Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square and tell the world about our successes, but we cannot do it. It will affect trials taking place at the moment and those taking place in the future," he said. Stevens, who retires in January, defended recent legislation that allows terrorist suspects to be held for up to two weeks without being formally charged. "If it was not for the new legislation, we would not have had the successes we have had, and London would not be as safe," he said. "A balance needs to be struck between allowing people their own individual rights and public safety and it is a massively difficult equation to get right," he said. |