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On
Friday the 28th November, if anyone can recollect,
it was a cold damp day that led to an even colder
night but that did not stop anti-war activists including
myself answering the call from Belfast Anti-War Movement
to mobilise and protest the presence of Lt.Col. Tim
Collins at Queens University. Collins was present
at the invitation of Queen’s Graduate Committee
as a guest speaker at the committee’s annual
dinner.
Now
there may be people wondering why there was a protest
at such an event and to these people I would say that
they must not know what type of human being Tim Collins
is. Lt Col “Wipe them out “ Collins was
most recently seen at a screen near you with his globally
televised pre-invasion speech to young British troops.
This speech so apparently enigmatic that it hangs
in the Oval Office of President George Bush Jr. His
ray ban concealed face accompanied by cigar was one
of many images thrown onto mainstream media and Collins
was further used as a poster boy for Bush and Blair’s
illegal war.
Now
what they did censor from us was what was really going
on behind the scenes of this propaganda led invasion
and occupation of Iraq. We were all led to believe
that Saddam was sitting on top of a mass of chemical
and nuclear weapons and that he was ready to rock
our world as we knew it. We were all in grave danger
– so much in danger that an international allied
force was needed to carpet bomb Iraq and pave the
way for the international corporations to buy Iraq
and therefore create a free and democratic Iraq beneficial
to all.
So
meanwhile back at base camp Collins was preparing
his young cannon fodder for their impending doom and
it was here that he thought he would outline the essential
requirements for battle. Amongst other things Collins
told his soldiers: “If someone surrenders to
you then remember they have that right in international
law.”However, not adhering to his own advice
he was witnessed and further accused by his US counterparts
of mistreating Iraqi people and prisoners including
pistol whipping, starvation and mock executions. (Taking
into account any investigation or dismissals of these
claims were completed by Collins' own people.)
These
circumstances are illegal as outlined by the 1949
Geneva Convention Relative to the treatment of Prisoners
of War where it states in article three what acts
are considered unlawful:
i)
Violence to life and person, in particular murder
of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
ii) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular,
humiliating and degrading treatment”
In
parallel to that the Fourth Geneva Convention specifies
law in accordance to the protection of civilians -
this too has been broken.
When
we listen to the words of Collins, 'I expect you to
rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they
choose.' It should not come as any surprise the “collateral
damage” (This word means innocent dead civilians,
dead babies, dead children, dead young people, dead
middle aged people, dead old people) that the regiments
he led left in their trail.
The
death toll of this conflict will never be transparent.
Neither will the actions perpetrated upon the Iraqi
people in the name of their Freedom – thousands
where killed maimed and brutalised. And as their deaths
continue, the world media like a pirate blind sees
only from one side of its face. The deaths of occupied
forces are in comparison to that off an estimated
44 Iraqis killed daily.
Collins
stated: 'As for ourselves, let's bring everyone home
and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there.'
Iraq today is defiantly not a better place, maybe
the statues of Saddam are gone but with an invasion
and occupation resistance against the occupiers is
growing everyday and most civilians have no access
to what one would consider the basics of life, food,
shelter, emergency medicines, running water and electric,
no education system or health system
So
as Lt Col. Tim “ Wipe the Out” Collins returns
from his bloody trail and is stood before us as a
sterling example of a Queen’s Graduate, I ask,
Is that the most appropriate image for a prestigious
educational institution to display? A war criminal
that is also under investigation after a young soldier,
Paul Cochrane from Drumadd Barracks, took his own
life after extensive brutal bullying whilst under
the direct care of Collins. 17 apparent investigations
are pending.
“Paul,
only wanted to be a soldier and make his country
proud of him - his family were already proud of
him so he had nothing to prove to them. The scandalous
actions of a Commanding Officer, led to this young
boys death. Col. Collins, knew what was taking place
within his command and chose to do nothing.
In
any decent human being's eyes, Col. Collins' inaction
made him the leader of the pack, for who is the
most guilty, the one who does the bullying, or the
one who stands by and watches but does nothing?
Tim Collins was this young boys surrogate parent,
his leader, his teacher, HIS PROTECTOR!
What
Leader of men watches whilst one of his own men
is tortured beyond endurance? This man did. And
from his own mouth, he admitted that he knew
he had a male rapist in his command and he kept
him there. Why was this man not sent back to the
home base before Paul died, why was he left to rape
again? Only Colonel Tim Collins can answer that,
and one day he shall meet his maker and will have
to answer to him.” - From family of R.I.R Soldier
Paul Cochrane.
Lt
Col Tim Collins is a man of no integrity or respect
for the human rights of others; he should not be stood
out as anything but a disgraceful example of the human
race.
Anti-war
protestors successfully showed a presence of opposition
to Collins. Banners whistles and chants along with
a few indiscriminate eggs met guests as they exited
the main building of Queens and made the short journey
across the path. The noise made by protestors carried
and Collins, I am sure, heard the shouts as he was
hurried in through the back door of The Whitla Hall
to join his fellow guests at dinner. Those guests
were encouraged to take leaflets from two anti-war
activists who where permitted, due to a prior arrangement
with Queens and the Belfast Anti War Movement, to
stand at the entrance that dinner guests were going
through. Approximately half those entering the dinner
in their formal wear and champagne glasses took leaflets
after myself and Liz who where handing out the leaflets
assured them it was only information on why there
was a protest going on and to our knowledge information
is not dangerous and could not directly harm them.
Maybe a few may even take the time to read them.
With
our job done and opposition expressed we walked past
the barriers placed all around the entrance of the
university, said goodbye to the privately hired security,
thanked the media for attending and made our way across
the now muddied grass and under the chain link fence
that maybe was supposed to be enough of a deterrent
to stay off the grass?
The
thought that stayed with me that night, as I made
my way home across Belfast, was did Lt. Col. Collins
and his colleagues in the US/UK war machine even care
that opposition to their world view exists?
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