CiF: No to "Quisling" Refugees
The Guardian's Comment is Free: the gift that keeps on giving. Whether you are looking for celebrations of communist Hungary, celebrations of Soviet communism in general, or a "tribute" to Saddam Hussein (blogged by Nick here), CiF is always there to lend a helping hand. So it's no surprise that today Mr. Neil Clark, himself a East Bloc booster, admonishes the Gordon Brown government to reject calls to admit Iraqi translators that have worked for the British (and who are routinely targeted for murder by insurgents). Clark advises Downing Street to "keep these quislings out" of Britain:
The interpreters did not work for "us", the British people, but for themselves—they are paid around £16 a day, an excellent wage in Iraq—and for an illegal occupying force. Let's not cast them as heroes. The true heroes in Iraq are those who have resisted the invasion of their country.
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If more Iraqis had followed the example of the interpreters and collaborated with British and American forces, it is likely that the cities of Iran and Syria would now be lying in rubble.Before you rush to condemn Iraqis who feel ill disposed towards the interpreters, ask yourself a simple question: how would you view fellow Britons who worked for the forces of a foreign occupier, if Britain were ever invaded? History tells us that down through history, Quislings have—surprise, surprise—not been well received, and the Iraqi people's animosity towards those who collaborated with US and British forces is only to be expected.
Whole nauseating column here.