Discrimination against British soldiers in uniform to become a criminal offence (U.K.)

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | May 19, 2008 | MATTHEW HICKLEY

[Stoat]

Discrimination against British soldiers in uniform to become a criminal offence

by MATTHEW HICKLEY - More by this author » Last updated at 16:35pm on 19th May 2008

New laws will make it a criminal offence to discriminate against Britain's soldiers, sailors and airmen wearing uniform in public, under Government proposals outlined yesterday.

Courts will also hand out tougher punishments to anyone who assaults or threatens a serviceman wearing the Queen's uniform - which will become an 'aggravating factor' during sentencing.

Other measures designed to boost recognition and respect for the UK armed forces include a drive to encourage thousands more school pupils to train as military cadets, and teaching youngsters about the role and work of the military as a compulsory part of the National Curriculum.

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Honour: British troops could be rembembered on a special Bank Holiday in a bid to improve how they are viewed by the public

 

The Government confirmed that a new National Armed Forces and Veterans Day will be introduced from next year, in late June, although ministers are still weighing up whether it should be a new Bank Holiday, along with more homecoming parades for units returning from war.

And all servicemen and women will be encouraged to wear military uniform in public wherever possible, to boost the visibility of Britain's rapidly-shrinking forces.

The study into National Recognition of our Armed Forces was carried out by former Conservative MP Quentin Davies at Gordon Brown's request, amid growing concern over the lack of public understanding or support for the military after years of controversial wars abroad.

(4) Last year the head of the Army General Sir Richard Dannatt warned that a lack of public appreciation risked 'sapping' the willingness of troops to serve in dangerous warzones abroad.

 

Opposition MPs broadly welcomed yesterday's proposals but claimed they would 'ring hollow' for many personnel who suffer from the lack of funding for the military, often having to live in sub-standard housing.

The report cites examples of negative attitudes to troops in uniform, including a security assistant at Harrods in London barring an Army officer wearing service dress after a Remembrance Day ceremony.

Harrods insisted it would still exclude servicemen or women wearing 'fatigues' - the combat clothing which most wear for everyday work - a rule which the report condemns as 'quite unacceptable.'

Other examples include troops returning from fighting in Afghanistan being told to change into civilian clothes before passing through Birmingham Airport, and being kept away from public areas of Edinburgh Airport.

In Peterborough, RAF personnel were banned from wearing uniform in town after incidents of verbal abuse.

This 'contrasts sharply' with American and Canada 'where members of the public greet returning troops warmly and appreciatively.'

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Senior figures in the Armed Forces fear the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have harmed the Armed Forces' reputation at home

 

The report calls for legislation making it an offence for public services or private companies to discriminate against anyone in military uniform - putting such treatment on a legal par with racial or sexual discrimination.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said such cases were rare, but were 'totally and utterly unacceptable', and details of the new laws were being discussed.

The package will also push for a major expansion in cadet organisations.

Currently around one in 50 schoolchildren are part of cadet groups - 130,000 in all - either in the Combined Cadet Force in schools or in the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force or Air Training Corps outside.

Only around 260 out of 6,400 secondary schools have CCF units - almost all in Grammar or private schools - and ministers want to 'do everything possible to encourage more Comprehensive Schools and City Academies to join up.'

The report claims the social benefits for young cadets of 'team effort, purposeful endeavour and meeting physical challenges' go far beyond military training, and cites figures showing that while one in 19 boys aged 15 to 17 were charged, cautioned or warned for a criminal offence in 2004, among cadets of the same age the figure was just one in 625.

The move is likely to be controversial, however, particularly as young cadets receive weapons training.

Last month the National Union of Teachers was criticised when members voted to ban the military from recruiting in schools.

Yesterday the NUT's acting general secretary Christine Blower claimed youngsters 'with limited job prospects are being targeted for careers in the military', and called for 'a protocol' to set limits to the MOD's involvement in schools.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said: 'Many of these proposals are good common sense and should be welcomed.

'But we must never let pageantry obscure the hard facts about the way the current Government treats our Armed Forces.

'An Armed Forces Day is welcome, but it will ring hollow for those forces families who still have to put up with sub-standard housing.'

[Stoat]

Also:

New uniform offence and Bank Holiday to celebrate Armed Forces - Times Online

May 19, 2008
 

 

New uniform offence and Bank Holiday to celebrate Armed Forces

 

(Dominic Lipinski)

Personnel from RAF Wittering, near Peterborough, were told not to walk the local streets in uniform

 

Michael Evans, Defence Editor

div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } <p>div#related-article-links p a { color:#06c; }

A special Bank Holiday is being considered by the Government to honour and celebrate the work of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF, as part of a new drive to draw the military and the public closer together.

To encourage members of the Armed Forces to wear their uniforms in public as often as possible, legislation is also to be introduced to make it a criminal offence to discriminate against military personnel in Service dress or combat fatigues.

Anyone who physically attacks a serviceman or servicewoman in uniform will also be charged with an “aggravated offence” to underline the extra seriousness now being attached to the well-being and security of Armed Forces personnel when in the public eye.

The new developments appear as recommendations in an official report called National Recognition of our Armed Forces, drawn up by Quentin Davies, the MP and former Tory shadow defence minister who switched to Labour in June last year. He was asked by Gordon Brown to investigate ways of improving the relationship between the military and the civilian public.

 

Mr Davies said the creation of a special Armed Forces Day, which he envisaged could be merged into the existing Veterans’ Day, would not detract from the significance of the annual Remembrance Sunday. He said this would remain a “precious national institution”.

In his report, he said that if the Government decided to create another public holiday in honour of the military, he believed it should be set on a Friday or Monday at the end of June.

If not a Bank Holiday, then it should be a Saturday so that schoolchildren and most working adults would be available to attend events, Mr Davies said. Senior military figures have already expressed support for a national day of celebration for the Forces.

Among his 40 recommendations published yesterday, Mr Davies suggested that lessons on the role of the Armed Forces in society should be inserted into the national curriculum, and he urged the setting up of more Combined Cadet Corps in schools.

It also recommended more visits to schools by representatives of the Armed Forces, although not for recruiting purposes.

Of the 6,400 secondary schools in the United Kingdom, only 260 have CCF units and most of them are in grammar and independent schools.

Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, reacted positively to these two recommendations. “I believe Combined Cadet Forces can make a huge difference to the young people who join them, and it’s also important for them to understand the diverse role of the Armed Forces,” he said.

The report also proposed launching a modern equivalent of the Royal Tournament, which was scrapped because of the cost and pressure on Service personnel. Mr Davies said it would not be practicable to revive the Royal Tournament itself, but suggested a possible link up with television journalists and other interested parties, such as Ross Kemp and Jeremy Clarkson.

Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, confirmed that the Government accepted all the recommendations, including the call for new legislation to criminalise discrimination against military personnel wearing uniforms in public.

In a foreword to the report, the Prime Minister said he believed the public was fully behind the men and women of the Armed Forces, but he felt there was a need for greater understanding of “the work they do in our name”.

Mr Davies also said that the military and public had drifted apart in recent years, claiming that society had become more “individualistic, hedonistic and materialistic”, compared with the values of self-sacrifice shown by the Armed Forces.

It was also accepted, he said, that the unpopularity of the Iraq War had had an impact on public opinion, although he emphasised that the Armed Forces were loyally carrying out the orders of the politicians.

 

 

Mr Davies condemned recent incidents where Service personnel had been picked on by members of the public.

His report highlighted incidents at Birmingham and Edinburgh airports last year when soldiers and Royal Marines returning from duty in Afghanistan were either told to put on civilian clothes before going through the terminal or were diverted to keep them out of the public eye.

In his report Mr Davies also referred to the policy adopted by Harrods, the Knightsbridge department story, of banning military personnel wearing combat fatigues.

Harrods confirmed to Mr Davies and his inquiry team during their 17-month investigation that it excluded personnel in fatigues. “We regard any such rule as quite unacceptable,” Mr Davies said.

Harrods, however, made it clear it did not ban military personnel who wore their Service uniforms. An incident in November 2006 when a Harrods security assistant prevented an army officer from entering the store wearing Service dress after a Remembrance Day ceremony had been a mistake, the department store said.

The report called for a much wider use of uniforms in public, reversing a policy which has been in existence ever since the IRA threat of the 1970s and 1980s, although Service personnel are already allowed to wear uniforms to travel to work and to attend functions. Mr Davies said he wanted the military to be “encouraged” to wear their uniform in public as often as possible, although he accepted it would not be right to do so “in night clubs or on the beach”.

His report also called for a more systematic approach to homecoming parades. These have increased since General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Army, appealed last year to local authorities to organise more parades for Service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. But Mr Davies said regional commanders should approach local authorities to hold such parades.

Other recommendations included allowing senior officers from all three Armed Forces to have access to the media without having to get permission from the MoD.

[Stoat]

Harrods insisted it would still exclude servicemen or women wearing 'fatigues' - the combat clothing which most wear for everyday work - a rule which the report condemns as 'quite unacceptable.'

Other examples include troops returning from fighting in Afghanistan being told to change into civilian clothes before passing through Birmingham Airport, and being kept away from public areas of Edinburgh Airport.

Home Page - Harrods

[Stoat]

[SoldierDad]

Meanwhile, Code Pink and other anti-miltary groups in the U.S. enjoy local governmental and media support for their mistreatment of U.S. service personnel.

[massgopguy]

“I walks into a public ‘ouse to get myself a beer. The publican he up and says we serve no Redcoats here”

[ElkGroveDan]

Courts will also hand out tougher punishments to anyone who assaults or threatens a serviceman wearing the Queen's uniform

How a soldier can fit in her uniform, I'll never know.

[weegee]

Dodi al Fayed was heir to the billion-dollar Harrods fortune.

[steve-b]

Harrods insisted it would still exclude servicemen or women wearing 'fatigues' - the combat clothing which most wear for everyday work - a rule which the report condemns as 'quite unacceptable.'

I assume this "Harrods" is an upscale establishment. If so, they should certainly insist on dress uniforms, not fatigues.

[Natural Law]

TOMMY
by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.

Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.

We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

[DuncanWaring]

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;

[JZelle]

What if the offender is Iranian?

[AlaskaErik]

It’s a sad day when it becomes necessary for a law like this to be enacted. I served for almost 32 years and I cannot recall any instance where I was ever discriminated against or subjected to negative comments while in uniform. Hopefully a law like this will never be needed in the US.

[Bigg Red]

Pretty sad that they have to make a law to force the public to respect their military. That said, I would like to see a profile of the typical insulter in these cases. Could it be those “youths”, I wonder.

[Stoat]

What if the offender is Iranian?

Hopefully the offender will not be given special consideration as a result of his religion.....

Great Britain Muslim is spared a speeding ban so he can drive between his two wives

[Proud_USA_Republican]

The UK is currently paralyzed by political correctness, multiculturism, and climate change hysteria. The liberals and the MSM there have fostered a culture of guilt over Britian’s history of colonialism and have applied it their involvment in the Afganistan and Iraq wars. People are meant to feel guilty for their simple existence. I hope the new conservative leadership in the UK will try to get their citizens to be more proud of who they are, but I don’t hold out much hope.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Harrods is a frickin department store, just like Macys or Nordstrom. I see no problem with a person in military fatigues walking in to do some shopping.

[manc]

two words

about time.

[Mercia]

I fully support the idea. Top idea what?!!!!

I have in no way been influenced by the idea of a nice bank holiday added to our calendar...

Ahem...

[Mercia]

If it means we get a genuine bank holiday then there aren’t going to be many complaining thats for sure. Its either celebrate our Armed Forces (who are doing a good job in all theatres) while drinking a nice vino in the park, watching the parades go by, OR...

Sit mutely in our offices, bored silly but content that we dont have to spend what any more time that is needed having fun...

[SandRat]