It was a bright and beautiful morning today. The golden rays of the sun gave the fertile earth a striking radiance. I serenely watched the sun ascend the sky and listened to Nick Ferrari on LBC 97.3 while taking my nephews and nieces to school. It was there where I discovered the trial of the failed London Bombings of 21/7.
Half an hour later, I was outside Belmarsh. I wanted to hear the proceedings of the case and joined a long line of TV presenters, journalists, Photographers and Cameramen all standing in the cold, outside Woolwich Crown Court. One by one, they went through the metal barriers and extensive security checks. Having placed my bag and all contents of my pocket in the screening unit, I walked through the metal detectors and they started beeping. I had to take off my jacket, re-assure him that it was my belt buckle, raise my hands and stand for a full body search just to be let in. Several police officers carrying firearms guarded the place and walked back and forth. I became anxious. What if one of them trigger-happy ones just pointed it at me?
Court Room 3. That’s where the case of the six men – Mr Ibrahim, 28, from Stoke Newington in north London, Mr Mohamed, 25, from North Kensington in west London, Mr Omar, 26, from New Southgate in north London, Mr Osman, 28, of no fixed address, Mr Asiedu, 33, of no fixed address, and Mr Yahya, 24, of Tottenham in north London – accused of plotting to murder Londoners was to be heard. I went upstairs squeezing past the swarm of journalists. I felt a bit uneasy, but went through the double-doors where a uniformed man guarded the entrance. As I approached him, he took one glance at me.
“Are you a friend, family member, relative, what?” he asked
“None,” I replied.
I was the only Somali person there. To be honest, there were three black people there altogether including me. Nevertheless, I was rather surprised by his automatic assumption that having the same complexion or similar features as the accused men makes me somehow related to them or an acquaintance.
“then, you are?” he asked inquisitively
“the Public,” I answered, emphasizing the word public. Yes, I was simply an enthusiast of the courts.
“Sorry mate, the public gallery is already filled,” he replied
“How about the press gallery?” I enquired, presenting him my press card.
“That has been filled too,” he replied, looking at me slightly puzzled.
Maybe i should have just said Family, then he would have let me in. Hmm…
Other cases of Drug trafficking etc, were to be heard in other courts, but not as interesting as this one, so I made my way home disappointed. To be there and hear the case unfold is far more rewarding than watching its review on the screen, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. Were both the public and press gallery filled or could he have been racially profiling you? I have the filling he may have given the quickness with which he asked about your status.
Well shaafi, the trial will be long, so am sure they will have to let u in someday so don’t give up.
The press as usual are making a biggie out if this one .. in particualr our old foe The Mail .
What of a fair trial, when the masses have already been convinced of their guilt.
Aya, You made me think back on a few things and his demeanour. He might have been, but that i took no notice of. I didn’t sense anything that suggested racial profiling, but i am not ruling it out! lol
Anonymous, I will hopefully be going back there this coming Monday, if time permits me, and i shall inform you on the progress.
Your right, the verdict has been reached way before the case has began. The Judge told the jury before the case began that they should not let emotion cloud their judgement and see this case solely on the evidence provided at the court. The question is, will they? In the eyes of the British public, the men are guilty and that shall be the verdict! lets await the outcome and see if our prediction has been in the affirmative.
have you been there again and is there any progress? are the supsects somali people?
[...] nicht zuletzt auch für den Westen selbst – einige Angeklagte im Fall der fehlgeschlagenen Terroranschläge in London stammen ursprünglich aus Somalia (andere aus Äthiopien). Es waren kurioserweise gerade [...]
Tom, though this has brought an unwanted Media attention upon the Somali community, there’s still some discrepancy as to the origins of the suspects.
Hussein Osman, who was given refuge in the Uk under the pretense that he was of Somali orogin, turned out to be an Ethiopian National.
Yassin Omar is the only suspect so far that, it is believed, has ties with Somalia. He is from a place called Harar, situated in Eastern Ethiopia. The residents of Harar comprise of Somalis, Oromos, Amhaars and some Tigrey.
thank you. how big is the somali community in britan?
Somalis have been been living in Britain for a very long time, since they came here primarily as seamen working aboard the Royal Navy vessels in late 19th century. From then on, there has been a steady rise in number, but the majority of Somalis came to Britain as a result of the Civil war and the huge influx started by 1988 and still continues.
Take a look at this site for the history of Somalis in Britain. And though i disagree with some of its facts, they have estimated the number upto 70,000 Somalis, but that must have now risen to 100,000 if not exceeding it.
What interests you, might i ask?
i’m a student of political sciences in vienna and I’ve been interestedly following the development of somalia for about a year now – I’m just trying to explore more things around all that. i’m also regularly posting about it on my blog and try to show, what it possibly means, if the world refuses to secure peace and fails to stabilize somalia now. i think that a terrorist from somalia in the UK is an alarming symbol, even if it is not directly related to the newest developments.
but in general one can say that I only ask for keen interest.