Speaking at the Hay Festival, the former head of MI5 said “the enemy is everywhere” and highlighted the recent “clash of civilizations” rhetoric.
If that were true, it would be a surprising confession. Mr Rimington's comments, bearing in mind that MI5's role is to protect the British public from domestic threats, suggest that the agency is not fully fulfilling its role.
Corporate media coverage, predictably, leaves no room for doubt, as it promotes the idea that she is “evoking a wartime spirit.”
In fact, she and they promote the ideology of the clash of civilizations, the idea that the days of clear fronts are over. In fact, no one can be trusted and any community can have people lurking around who are ready to kill you. She said:
Communities have a responsibility to act as eyes and ears, just as they did in times of war. There were posters on the walls saying there were ears and the enemy was everywhere.
There are frequent signs that people in communities, Muslim or otherwise, are becoming extremists and spewing hateful words.
She urged people to be aware of their neighbourhoods, and backed Conservative plans to give police and security companies the power to monitor every email, phone call and web visit. He went on to say that unless the country becomes a “police state” further attacks are inevitable.
Rimington and the media are doing everything they can to stir up tension and fear. While we do not condone acts that cause harm to others, it would be foolish to fall prey to obvious attempts to incite hatred and tensions between communities.
