The flames of hate
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1627192,00.html
Guy Fawkes' night isn't harmless fun: it's a celebration of torture and
religious persecution
Justin Champion
Friday November 4, 2005
The Guardian
Without diminishing the suffering of the victims of the July bombings,
it's possible to speculate what inappropriate forms public
commemoration of 7/7 might take. Given the British predilection for
bonfires, one can imagine the burning of effigies of the bombers,
identified by backpacks, or perhaps more stereotypical bearded
Islamists.
Such commemorative displays would draw a line between one part of the
community and the stigmatised minority. Thankfully, given the attempts
to build bridges, we might have a reasonable optimism that no such 7/7
bonfires will be kindled. However, since 1605 bonfires have been a
persistent feature of our culture every November 5. Despite the popular
view that bonfire night is a harmless, festive occasion, it is in fact
a despicable relic of a culture that commended, in the name of
Christian duty, the persecution of religious minorities, the burning of
witches and the ritual desecration of suicides. A supposed celebration
of the immolation of an individual became a political device exploited
by successive governments in the name of national security.
Justin Champion
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Guy Fawkes
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