Saturday 11 July 2009

Making History.

Depending on what angle you are looking from, the protest at the swearing in of our new UN-ELECTED Balliff was a resounding success. Naturally I can only give it to you from my angle and this is why I see it was a success.

Late last year when the HDLG investigation was in full swing and the Jersey Care Leavers Association had been formed, I e-mailed the JCLA offering my support, in the way of a small financial donation, fund raising, printing leaflets, raising awareness etc.

To my dismay I had no reply and therefore was not taken up on any of my heartfelt offers. It was the time of the Senatorial elections, and knowing one of the candidates was a care leaver (not abused) I explained about the e-mail I had sent with no reply. He told me that it might be because the Care Leavers just don’t trust anybody, and as they were not long formed as a group they were probably not very organised yet but I should get a reply soon……….I never did.

However I, in my own way, persisted by Blogging, contributing to Blogs and forums to highlight the struggle of abuse survivors and the injustices I believed, and still do, they were experiencing and still are.

To cut a very long story short, I have now become friends with a number of abuse survivors who, when we first met, more than likely didn’t trust me. One thing, in my opinion, was apparent and that was they were still “victims” that is to say they were in “victim mode” They (not all) had all but given up any kind of hope, didn’t see the point in trying to get justice, were just brow beat and completely demoralised.

On Thursday July the 9th 2009 at the protest of the swearing in of Michael Birt as Balliff I saw, for the first time, in one particular abuse survivors eyes and heard in her voice not only hope but the feeling of POWER. She asked “when is the next protest”? Up until a few weeks ago she had neither.

Some will argue that is a false sense of power and hope and it is not fair to string her , and others along, I would argue the opposite. I know the nightmares some of these people suffer, the self harming, the suicidal tendencies, the feeling of no self respect or self esteem, the feeling of complete hopelessness and helplessness. If their pain and anguish could be relieved by the feelings of power, strength and hope, even if it was only for a couple of hours on a Thursday afternoon then, in my opinion it was a success!

MAKING HISTORY.

All those who were protesting became a part of a landmark day in the history of Jersey. Never, to the best of my knowledge, in EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS has there been a protest at the swearing in of a Balliff, that was until Thursday July the 9th 2009. As much as the “accredited” media are trying to play this down it is in-escapable, HISTORY WAS MADE THIS DAY!………..Were you there?

The video’s below were taken by two members (on separate cameras ) of “Team Voice” which is expanding its membership and readership. The video footage, in my opinion, is in stark contrast of what has been reported by the “accredited” press. From what I have seen of our local media reporting of the event it was just a little bit of a Senator Syvret side show.

Nothing could be further from the truth. This demonstration was organised by the Care leavers themselves and a handful of supporters. They paid for and designed the “Justice” t-shirts, the banners, the whistles, the placards, all with their own time and money. Senator Syvret had very little input into the making of this demonstration. He did no more than any of our elected “representatives” should and that is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people they are elected to represent and credit to him for doing it.

Don’t get hoodwinked into the “media spin” of diverting the attention from allegedly horribly abused children in our States “care” system and the subsequent alleged cover up and not prosecuting States “care” workers and turning it into the Stuart Syvret show.

This is about “JUSTICE“?, CONCEALMENT COVER UP, THE JERSEY WAY and doing everything we can to either bring the alleged victims some justice or exposing our Government for, at the very best, ITS FAILINGS.


18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Could I please take this opportunity to thank the members of the legal profession who spontaneously began clapping halfway through the event in an attempt to cover the noise of the common locals and child abuse victims protesting lack of justice in Jersey?

    Your actions have shown exactly why protest of this type is needed on the island, so thank you for helping promote the cause.

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  3. I was honoured to stand shoulder to shoulder as a supporter of the abused at the protest held in the Royal Square at the Swearing in of the New Bailiff.

    The voices of the abused must never be silenced. If they are the children of tomorrow may suffer.

    Truth Will Out

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  4. Fantastic. I'm grinning from ear to ear. Its about time people rained on such parades. Well done all of you who turned up to support the protest. You certainly seemed to drown out the oli's.

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  5. Good post VFC and footage also.I think this shows that the band were rather drowned out and the uncomfortable smirks on the faces of the 'avocados' was a joy to behold!

    History was made, and I was thrilled that the survivors who could get there were able to voice their anger and frustration in the right direction.

    Let this be the start of many, many more displays of the public's displeasure and more power to Citizan's Media!!

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  6. Fantastic! wish I could have been there. Well done to all - you do yourselfs proud!

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  7. Great Post VFC, I was proud and honoured to stand side by side with everyone on Thursday. It was good to speak to a lot of people who didn't feel comfortable/able to join in the protest but came over to show there support.

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  8. Well done
    Look forward to the next instalment
    You are doing a great job, citizen media ROCKS.

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  9. Everyone protesting in the Royal Square realised that they were participating in an historic event and making their own history. Theirs was not the fancy dress pageant of the privileged elite occurring in the Royal Court building and roadway outside.

    The demonstration was historic in the sense that deference has been swept away. Protest is not unknown to Jersey, but ordinary people would never previously have had the courage to protest at this the most prestigious of all Establishment ceremonies – the swearing in of a new Bailiff.

    .It is right to point out that the media is trying to present the demonstration as the “Syvret show”. This fits in with the personalization of politics in Jersey, making it easier to demonise dissent. It is also lazy journalism since it deliberately ignores wider discontent in society and that there are organised groups. The event was not organised by Senator Syvret; organizing is not his forte,

    The demonstration reveals that there is a rift in Jersey society between the Establishment and working people – the rulers and the ruled. Civil society has generated an opposition. This will be deeply worrying to our rulers

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  10. Well done!

    Am so pleased to see this and hope to see a lot more of the same!

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  11. Am so pleased to see this and hope to see a lot more of the same!

    Donchais - Rest assured, you will!

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  12. VFC - Senator Ferguson did herself no favours with her sarcastic comment to you this morning in the Royal Square.

    "Voice for everything" was her greeting to you, to which she had the united response "some-one needs to be".

    What is it with these people that they are so afraid of having their boats rocked?

    With the media we currently have we certainly need those like you who show us the fuller side of things, and thank you for that.

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  13. First thing in the morning is not the time to watch these videos!!! the noise of the whistles was deafening, having said all that. Well done to all, you exercised your rights to demonstrate - they most definately heard you and oh dear the shock on some of their faces was a treat to see. Keep blowing those whistles, carrying those placards and indeed Justice will be seen to be done, maybe not this week or next - but it will happen - hang on in there.

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  14. "voice for everything" Thats a bit rich coming from an old bird who twitters on with her opinion about everything and knowledge about nothing. She uses her half wit son to mouth her sentiments on PJ. Tries to endear posters "saying she will look into things" never does.

    The woman is a first class prat with who likes to be seen and heard and aspires to the inner sanctom.

    You keep needling them VFC et al your doing such a magnificent job they are running scared.

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  15. Congratulations for making history!!

    Have there been any plans for the next protest yet?

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  16. One Day.

    The next protest will be at the swearing in of the Deputy Balliff.

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  17. One Day.

    I haven't got an exact date yet but it will be heavily publicised before hand.

    Although there might be other protests before that, and again, plenty of notice and publicity will be given before the event(s)

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