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after André Gide

Drones – ‘Playstation’ Killing

June 6th, 2013
A Predator Drone

A Predator Drone

A friend Paul Davies wrote today: ‘Yesterday six peace activists (including two priests) entered RAF Waddington by cutting a gateway in the perimeter fence and planting a peace garden inside. The day was chosen for being the fifth anniversary of the first British drone strike in Afghanistan. The six have been arrested and we wait for further news of them.
 Waddington is the air base near Lincoln where the British government now operates unmanned Reaper drones, which fire missiles killing Afghans thousands of miles away. Up until April this year the UK military carried out this murderous activity from Las Vegas in the US. Since April British military satellite capability makes this possible from near Lincoln, England and air strikes already have been operated from British soil.
 This technology is “playstation” killing – firing Hellfire missiles at blips on a screen who are actually people living in Afghanistan. And all this killing from the comfort and safety of the Lincolnshire countryside, as we all enjoy the summer sunshine.
 Think on this Friends, and hold the Waddington Six in the Light for their witness for peace and for the lives of the Afghan people.’

Have a look at this graphic demonstration of the problem produced for the Guardian: http://drones.pitchinteractive.com/

4 Responses to “Drones – ‘Playstation’ Killing”

  1. It is only ‘playstation’ killing if they think it’s just a game and nobody really dies. We know that it isn’t and it would be pretty silly to think that they don’t know the same. Does it make it any more right if they do it face to face and make sure they get blood on their clothes? The Dam Buster bouncing bomb inventor went to his grave feel guilty just for inventing the device, but he wasn’t the one that dropped it.

    I just don’t think that the debate about drones is an honest and helpful one when the highlighted point of contention is that they aren’t near the killing. As the link describes more helpfully, the fact that it can be indiscriminate is an issue (so called collateral damage). The fact that western governments would rather assassinate certain individuals rather than go through the bother of making them stand trial is an issue (Guantanamo Bay is a huge reason why drone killings have gone up). The fact that is it an invasion upon another country in all but name is an issue. The fact that by doing all of these things western governments are only adding fuel to the fire is an issue.

  2. It is a nightmare that people have brought killing of this nature into our world. The people in the Middle East already don’t seem to be of any consequence to the machinators of these wars, and now they’ve succeeded in putting themselves at an even greater remove from the people they kill. ….),:

  3. Lest we forget, this is in reply to flight simulator killing, where planes were flown into skyscrapers (they got the idea from playing with Microsoft flight simulator)..

    Anyway, not to worry – attacks are approved by the Nobel Peace Prize winning President of the US, and he recently announced that they will only be approved if the chance of collateral damage is close to zero,

    I guess you could argue that a machete is more discriminating, and up close and personal? And environmentally friendly,

  4. Thanks for highlighting this. We do not yet have a date for our hearing but we have entered a plea of ‘not guilty’. Whatever the verdict we believe that it is drones that are on trial and not our efforts to bear witness to their brutality.

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