by Andrew Holman
The headlines in Friday’s papers about the 2 “Downs Syndrome bombers” missed the point. These women were not committing suicide and they were not bombers. They were as much victims of the act as those others killed around them and should at least be given that respect.
OK so the media did express some outrage at them being used in this way, but to my mind nowhere near enough. I’m sure they were not active participants as, for the first time, the bombs were remotely detonated by mobile phones. I doubt they knew what they were carrying and even if they did that informed consent was a million miles away from anything we know.
I know children have been used in wars for years, and of course, this is not the first time people with learning disabilities have been horrifically abused, Hitler’s experimentation during the Second World War comes to mind. But to use people with learning disabilities in this way has to be a new low. I can’t get my head around what they want to achieve by such an action. Unless it is to raise the general anger felt by people and create continued retaliation, mayhem and outrage.
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