world

Al-Jazeera not to air video of gunman's shooting spree in France

15 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2012 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
Login to comment

So if al-Jazeera has not broadcast the video, how in blazes does Sarkozy know about it?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Eyewitnesses saw a video camera around Merah's neck at the time he shot up the school, and he also boasted via telephone to the French police that he was sending out videos via the Internet.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The pan-Arab channel, which once owed much of its fame outside the Arab world to airing recordings of al-Qaida’s late chief, Osama bin Laden, said it had declined “numerous requests from media outlets for copies of the video.”

Like the ACLU, many Michael Moore fans, NAMBLA and such groups Al Jazeera probably really regrets Bin Laden's death. Is there any way to determine how many viewers they have lost since he was shot in the face by Seal Team Six in their daring raid on his compound in Pakistan?

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Why? Fair and balanced reporting is important.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I have not always agreed with Sarkozy but here....I think he absolutely did the right thing by preventing this from being aired and good on Al-jazeera for acquiescing. This punk obviously wanted to be remembered as a 'martyr' so the best way to thwart these guys' ambitions of eternal notoriety is to prevent such videos from being broadcast.

And for the record, these guys need to get their definitions straight. According to dictionary.com, a martyr is "a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle or cause".

What they need is to come with a word which reflects the above definition but by substituting the word 'causes' instead of 'endures'. Oh wait! I thought of one.......murderer.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What would counter-balance the attacker's videos? Did the victims have their own videos too?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"And Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said: “If I were the father of such a monster, I would shut my mouth in shame.”"

Heh, 14 years I've been here and the petty administration of the nanny state often frustrates the hell out of me, but when it comes to whining immigrants, I can only salute the French way of dealing things.

All this cowardly murderer has really achieved in the aftermath of his carnage is swaying huge swathes of the electorate to vote for the Front Nationale.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Why? Fair and balanced reporting is important."

There is nothing fair and bamance about showing the attrocities of a murderer, what a stupid thing to say. The events themselves were bad enough, unless of course you're taking the novel stance of denying that they actually took place.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Virtuoso, if that was an attempt to answer my question, it was the wrong question.

Of course we all know there was a video. But how did Sarkozy know al-Jazeera had it? Why single out al-Jazeera if everybody has it? Why suspect al-Jazeera of planning to broadcast it, but no one else?

Something is not right here.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Seavey,

Why single out al-Jazeera if everybody has it?

Al-Jazeera’s Paris bureau chief, Zied Tarrouche, said the channel received the videos on a USB memory key, along with a letter in poorly written French that claimed the attacks in the name of al-Qaida. I assume they are the ones who have a copy of the original and considering the sensitive nature of the material, I'm sure they got in touch somehow with Sarkozy fast. The guys who run Al-Jazeera are not dummies. They knew that releasing such a video could/might damage their cred.

Why suspect al-Jazeera of planning to broadcast it, but no one else?

Probably because of its history of having broadcast Osama Bin Laden videos etc. However, I must say in all honesty that I do find that their English site is very fair and balanced. The tone of its articles are fairly impartial which surprised me because I thought their tone would be very pro-Palestinian.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Virtuoso, if that was an attempt to answer my question, it was the wrong question.

Of course we all know there was a video. But how did Sarkozy know al-Jazeera had it? Why single out al-Jazeera if everybody has it? Why suspect al-Jazeera of planning to broadcast it, but no one else?

Something is not right here.

I don't get what's so weird here. The video was sent to al-Jazeera. Sarkozy asked them not to broadcast it.

What is the 'something' which 'is not right here'?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I think Sarkozy did the right thing by asking Al Jazeera to not air such a horrible video, just imagine all the young and not so young angry Muslims there in France, jumping up and down Yelling Allah Akubar etc..when they would see this video and it does not take a rocket scientist to know their will be copy cats of this crime! Hey so and so was able to kill a bunch of Jews and die in a blaze of bullets, kind of the Arab French version of Tony Montana, cool man, lets get famous and etc...get the picture?? Let alone the pain that the parents of these Jewish victims are already in, sure throw some salt into the wounds.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

why should it be aired? so it can angered people even more? and what it will leads to? it will be a never ending story

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think Sarkozy did the right thing by asking Al Jazeera to not air such a horrible video

On the one hand, not airing it discourages copycats. On the other hand, it sweeps the blight of Islamist extremism under the carpet. A no-win situation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"kind of the Arab French version of Tony Montana, cool man"

That has to be one of the dumbest comments ever to grace these boards.

You can't have even seen the film, since Montana's downfall begins when he refuses to kill children.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites