RW Press Ignores Terror Attack

Anything that the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press can pass off as a terrorist incident is thus passed off; this is one of their iron rules. Whether it is London Bridge, the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, London’s transport network, or Manchester’s Arena, it is rigorously reported, followed up soon afterwards by an unappealing bevy of why-oh-why punditry. But then another of the press’ iron rules comes into play.

Their power rests not merely on what they choose to report, but what they choose not to report. And that means acts of terror perpetrated by Scary Muslims™ are reported upon, and those carried out by the far right a mere optional extra. Throw in the right-leaning press’ adoration of the current Government, and its tough talk on sending as many refugees back somewhere else in short order, and reporting terror is not done at all.

You think I jest? Sadly not. We have had to rely on the indomitable Lizzie Dearden of the online-only Independent to see this principle in action. As she has told, “An alleged far-right extremist has been charged with attempting to launch a terror attack on a solicitors' firm in London. Cavan Medlock, 28, is accused of planning to kill a lawyer from Duncan Lewis because of their work representing migrants”. There was more.

“The Old Bailey heard that he arrived at the firm’s offices in Harrow on 7 September armed with a knife, handcuffs, a Nazi flag and a US Confederate flag … He allegedly brandished a knife and ‘demanded to see a named member of staff’, before threatening to kill the man”. For some reason, this report has evaded the attention of Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Ms Dearden continued “A prosecutor said that Mr Medlock appeared to be motivated by ‘the firm’s involvement in preventing the government from deporting people who had come into the country unlawfully’ No pleas have yet been entered and he is expected to go on trial in May”. Then comes a moment of light relief, though not for the accused.

“Mr Medlock was to appear in court via video link from prison, but judge said he was ‘regarded as having deliberately absented himself’ … ‘He came onto the video link and started taking his clothes off and refused to put them back on again, so hence we have lost the video link’”. The Indy’s report adds that “The defendant [was] not asked to enter pleas to the charges and was remanded in custody ahead of a plea and case management hearing to be held in December or January”.

Only then did the magpies at Mail Online put their own report up. They have helpfully added that Medlock is on remand down the Scrubs, and have published a photo of the office block where Duncan Lewis Solicitors have their offices, just in case any of Medlock’s like-minded pals are looking in. The usual level of helpfulness, then.

The thought enters that had this been an alleged attack by someone who was not white, and especially if the suspect was a Muslim, papers like the Mail would not have waited until this point to report the matter. They would have splashed it all over the paper as soon as it was first reported. But as this incident has come in the wake of Ms Patel’s screaming rhetoric about “activist lawyers” preventing deportations, they’ve hardly peeped.

Not that they’re Government stenographers and bigots with it. Perish the thought!

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