Basra - the superior British occupiers again. posted by Richard Seymour

Basra is now described as calm after yesterday's clashes with Mahdi Army supporters. The fighting broke out after a British helicopter crashed. It drew out a huge crowd of people who, hearing that it had been downed by a rocket, yelled "Victory to the Mahdi Army!" Then, fighting. I say that, but it is not clear that 'fighting' is the appropriate word, positing as it does a false equivalence between rock-throwing anti-occupation protesters and gun-wielding occupiers. The Observer's report says:

In the ensuing fighting, unconfirmed reports suggested that four Iraqis - some of them bystanders and thought to include a child - had also been killed. Soldiers fired three live rounds as they moved to seal off the area. A curfew was imposed from 8pm local time in a bid to restore calm.

That would be a murder of unarmed civilians rather than fighting. Other reports add that 42 additional people were wounded in "the fighting" (I suspect that if the demonstrators had been in possession of any guns, the word "crossfire" would have been used, albeit their absence has never prevented its use with regard to Palestine).

At any rate, Basra is no longer a 'safe zone' if it ever was. Recent events suggest that the tales of British sensitive handling of their delicate imperial patch are no more convincing for their subjects than they are for those who must retail them. And pity poor Des Browne, the new Defense Secretary, who already sounds like his tongue has turned to wood: "This tragic incident reminds us of the risks our servicemen and women face every day in helping to support the emerging democracy in Iraq and give all Iraqis hope for a better future." Just because he briefly practised at the bar doesn't mean he's going to enjoy that sensation of repeating over and over again what he does not and has never believed.