Racism: Astonishing Attack in Woolwich Sparks Discrimination Frenzy

Just a little background information; some that is sure to shock you if you haven't seen it already.

Today at 2:20pm.

The London borough of Woolwich is brought to its knees. Suddenly and without warning, the entity known as the British public is forced brutally to attention.

Two allegedly Islamic aggressors have carried out a horrific, machete-wielding execution of a man believed to be a soldier in Woolwich, London.

Although senior police and government forces remain tight-lipped on the finer details of this alarming event, it has become apparent that the attack was unprovoked, and that the extremists carrying it out made no immediate attempt to leave the scene of the crime. However, both were later shot and wounded by the Metropolitan police force.


Here is the shocking interview that accompanied the event. This is one of the attackers; fresh from committing the attack, still wielding his weapon of choice and sporting the blood of his victim.



"I apologise that women had to witness this today," he blurts.
 "But in our land, the women have to see the same."



"Remove your government, they don't care about you!" he continues. A chilling aggressive energy is evident in his voice.

Shocking stuff.

Almost as shocking were some of the comments that started to appear in my social media feeds.
                                                     

Just one of thousands of decidedly backwards comments posted on Twitter  in reaction to today's events

Events such as today's often push a web-empowered society to partake in an intense debate on the motives behind what has happened.  It is seen as customary, I would argue, to give an opinion or a take on what has happened. However, the blanket discrimination that has been jumped to so quickly by a fraction of the British public is astonishing. 

The London Riots highlighted how the public and their use of social media now play a vital role in determining
press coverage of the most pressing events and issues our world has to offer.

Even before confirmation that the attacks were the work of two Jihadists, astonishingly narrow minded, ignorant and perspectiveless comments were being made in every corner of the internet about the attacks being the work of Islam, and that all ethnic minorities should be "sent home".

"Bring back the death penalty" heralded another Twitter user.

Scenes from Kosovo in the 1990s - Where mindless discrimination can take a nation. Bear that in mind.

The English Defence League have begun to riot in Brighton, themselves covered by masks, yet in a vein of hypocrisy claiming that religious groups who have the custom of covering their faces should be ethnically cleansed and removed from Britain.

I think that this image sums up their warped and poorly reasoned viewpoints perfectly:

Today I learned a valuable lesson; shocking events can bring the worst out of people, as well as the best, as a landscape of consumers scrap to make a meaningful response to an astonishing event. I am reminded of the  negative response towards Islam, a fundamentally peaceful and loving set of religious beliefs horribly misunderstood by some, after the 9/11 attacks.

 I sincerely hope that the new generation can embrace the multi cultural nature of Britain, and not reject the diverse, decidedly modern society that it creates.

Woolwich Attacks Live Twitter Feed.

Making Waves in the Media: Kickstarting a Documentary Series

In order to become a travel journalist, I figured being an active part of the media was essential, and this is a big part of the reason why I'm taking it at AS Level.

As part of my course I created the opening two minutes of ScandalWire: Big Brother Nation, the pilot episode of a scandal documentary series (a more vibrant, visually pleasing version of Dispatches, if you will), with this episode focussing on the epidemic of mass surveillance sweeping across the United Kingdom at an alarming rate.

The target audience is 15-35, and the typical viewer is an intelligent social leader who is an active part of society and media, and cares deeply about their sense of freedom and liberty.

Take a look at some of the A5 promotional adverts to be released in The Guardian Guide in the order they are shown here, one every weekly episode. Bear in mind that here, they are smaller than they would be in the publication







Any feedback in the comments section would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the most important part - the opening two minute sequence. It features a highly experimental yet ultimately successful Trafalgar Square time lapse sequence. Hope you enjoy it!