British police have apologized to the Muslim minority for last week’s anti-terror raid on a house in east London, which resulted in the arrest and shooting of [one] apparently innocent Muslim and undermined the minority’s trust in the police establishment as they felt unjustly targeted in the anti-terror drive.
“I am aware that in mounting this operation we have caused disruption and inconvenience to many residents in Newham, and for that I apologize,” Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman of the Metropolitan Police said in an official apology published by The Independent newspaper on Friday, June 9.
“Disruption and inconvenience?” Police officers shot two apparently blameless men then terrorized a neighborhood. I’m guessing those residents would consider that to be a teensy bit more than an ‘inconvenience.’
Appealing for calm, Hayman said: “We must all pull together in a tolerant manner. This isn’t the time for conflict and anger.”
It’s the police who need to learn tolerance. For an apology to mean something, those apologizing need to change their behavior so it doesn’t happen again, otherwise it’s just a meaningless, empty pretense.
