Freedom: learning lessons from history

Occasionally there is a happy coincidence that shines a light in the right places. Today there such a piece of serendipity in the form of a television programme, in the form of a genealogy programme that this week looked at the family of Zoe Wanamaker. An American who was moved to England by her father the actor Sam Wanamaker, Sam Wanamaker, now best known now as the man behind the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, he moved here as a political refuge in 1951.

While it may seem incredible to think of anyone having to seek asylum from America, but because of his left leaning politics, he had to flee the McCarthy Inquisition.

In the programme Zoe obtained the FBI file kept on her father, and it was clear that he was likely to have ended up in prison as the result of having formally been a member of the American Communist Party. While he had long left the party behind, he would still have been branded anti American because of his left wing political beliefs.

Further so many of the organisations that were branded anti American under the McCarthy witch hunt, were no more than organisations and associations that were fighting for equal rights and social justice. While in Europe the threat was in fact greater from communism with the Soviet Union on our doorstep, the actions of the US was totally disproportionate. Especially as during the depression years when in parts of Europe, Italy and Germany dictatorship had taken hold, and America held onto democracy and democratic government. It was that democracy that meant that the US was able to play its part in defeating the dictatorships in Europe and in Japan.

Therefore, while the threat from communism was real, the American reaction was and remains perplexing.

Now fast forward to the events that followed the horrific attacks of September eleventh. While in the US and Britain we needed to take actions to defend ourselves from attack, but freedoms have been taking away. America and the United Kingdom have previously been defenders of freedoms. However, we have had both governments taking away our freedoms and our liberties all in the name of protecting our way of life and freedom.

Yesterday saw the release of Binyam Mohamed from Guantanamo Bay. Now I cannot know if he was ever a real terrorist suspect, or if he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. From what has been reported, it does appear as though he was truly innocent. What is appalling is the way that America and Britain have targeted people because of their beliefs. Now it’s their religious beliefs back in the 1950s it was political ones.

Add to this the torture of Binyam Mohamed and both Britain and America need to feel shame for what they have done.

We really do need to learn the lessons from history, the McCarthy Inquisition was wrong just as treating all Muslims as potential terrorists is. British and American actions will inform the world, and only by treating all people with dignity, fairness and justice can we prove that democracy is the best way forward.