Today two men drove a Jeep into the front of Glasgow Airport. The car was alight and apparently one of the men tried to throw a petrol bomb into the terminal building. Being Glasgow someone wrestled the guy to the ground, despite the man being on fire.
I don’t get it. How does trying to set a building full of parents and kids just finished school and heading off on holiday make a political point? As far as I can see across the world and throughout time violence has pretty much never worked. It didn’t work in Ireland, South Africa, India, the civil rights struggle in USA and isn’t working in Iraq or Palestine.
Violence breeds violence. It doesn’t make things better. It doesn’t solve anything. It doesn’t make people take you seriously or like you more. It doesn’t make people respect you or want to be your friend. It also doesn’t convince people that you are right or fit to hold power or to look after others.
If you have a point then make it. Make it forcefully and peacefully and you can be sure that things will change. It’s the only way things really do.