This is the full article which I wrote for the Leicester Mercury. Their edited version appears on their website. I understand the editing process, so there are some phrasing differences and structure differences, nothing major:
Last week the country looked on as a broken man went on the run with a gun, the grand conclusion came when he took his own life following negotiations with Police.
David Cameron has now come out in the Prime Minister’s Question Time with the hardened proclamation that there should be no sympathy for Raoul Moat, his words were:
“It is absolutely clear that Raoul Moat was a callous murderer, full stop, end of story. I cannot understand any wave, however small, of public sympathy for this man. There should be sympathy for his victims and the havoc he wreaked in that community. There should be no sympathy for him.”
The crimes that Moat committed were horrendous, and his victims will be scarred emotionally and/or physically for life, which is awful. But the part of the quote, which grabbed my attention, was where the leader of our Country felt that he should tell the populace that one man deserves no sympathy.
I won’t pretend to know Moat’s life story, or the finer details that lead up to his much publicised death, but I firmly believe that no one is beyond redemption and even the most hardened of hearts deserve forgiveness, compassion and mercy.
After mulling this over, a section of the poem ‘Vultures’ by Chinua Achebe came to my mind, in this Achebe writes about the Commandant of the Concentration Camp Belen:
“Thus the Commandant at Belsen Camp going home for the day with fumes of human roast clinging rebelliously to his hairy nostrils will stop at the wayside sweet-shop and pick up a chocolate for his tender offspring waiting at home for Daddy’s return…”
This is a poem taught in Schools across the country, where we encourage our Children that even within the darkest hearts there is love. These same Children are now being told by their Prime Minister that there are some people who are beyond sympathy, whilst implying that compassion and mercy are also beyond what Moat deserves.
PC David Rathband was shot in the chest and face by Moat and is now in risk of never seeing again. Mr Rathband has said that he ‘bears no malice’ to Moat; so if Mr Rathband has the moral compass to forgive, then who are we to not do likewise.
As a nation we shouldn’t empathise with the wrong person, but we should also not hold a grudge and be willing to show forgiveness as PC Rathband did.
My overriding feeling on this is that, as humans, every person has a heart capable of loving and caring. There should be sympathy for people who reach a broken point in their life. If they survive this point there should also be help for them to rebuild their lives, as well as the victims lives.
If we can’t care for those who most need it, then caring for those who don’t need it doesn’t mean anything.
I 100% don’t agree with those that worship Moat through various Facebook groups and websites. I also 100% don’t agree with the implication from Cameron; but I would stress that there is a fine line between true mercy and sympathy and we need to empathise with the right people and show mercy where it is needed.
