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MP slams 'desultory' response to suicide bomb DVD
THE Government response to a children's DVD promoting suicide bombing found on sale in Yorkshire has been "desultory", the MP who brought it to public attention said last night.
Philip Davies accused the Home Office of failing to take seriously a DVD of Egyptian-made but English-subtitled music videos, including one song in which a young girl sings about following in the footsteps of her suicide bomber mother.
In December the Conservative MP for Shipley passed on to the Yorkshire Post the DVD, which he had been given by a constituent who found it on sale in Bradford.
This newspaper then passed it on to the Leeds-based police counter terrorism unit. Last night a spokesman said investigations were still ongoing.
At the time Mr Davies said it "beggared belief" that the DVD was both distributed and available for sale in Yorkshire and promised to write to the Home Secretary asking what support the Government was giving to the police to locate and eliminate this kind of material.
The MP has now heard back from Police Minister Tony McNulty in a terse two-paragraph letter that Mr Davies said failed to answer his questions adequately and would fail to reassure his Yorkshire constituents.
Mr McNulty wrote: "The Home Office is working closely with the police on a variety of issues, including policy areas and ensuring they have the correct training to deal with issues, such as the one described in your letter. We are unable to go into details about specific investigations."
Last night Mr Davies told the Yorkshire Post: "I think Tony McNulty has fudged the whole issue. I think this DVD is a pretty serious matter and of great concern to the general public but this letter suggests to me the Government has totally missed how important it is.
"The police are quite clearly taking this seriously, as is the very worried constituent who brought this to me, but the Government just seems complacent and their response does not get anywhere close to addressing people's concerns.
"I really wanted to receive back a letter showing that the Home Office were concerned and had a sense of urgency about this. Terrorism is one of the greatest threats facing Britain and they should be straining every sinew combating it. Sadly that's not the impression this letter gives."
Last night a Home Office spokesman said: "What we are saying is that the response in the letter speaks for itself. As we said we are working closely with police on a variety of issues including policy areas and ensuring that they have the correct training to deal with issues such as the one described in this letter. We are unable to go into details about specific investigations.
"If Phillip Davies would like to contact the Minister and speak to him to discuss the matter, this can be arranged."
All three of the DVD's tracks are sung by children in Arabic with English subtitles.
The first song is about two children who lose their mother when she becomes a suicide bomber. It is believed to be a reference to Reem al-Reyashi, a 22-year-old Palestinian who blew herself up in January 2004, killing four Israelis.
The video begins with an Arab woman playing with her two children, then leaving her home with dynamite tucked in her dress, blowing herself up and her children and husband finding out about her death on TV.
There is a disturbing change of tone towards the end of the track. Rummaging around her mother's wardrobe, the girl finds a stick of dynamite and, turning to the camera, concludes with the chilling words: "I will follow my mother's steps."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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