By Jermaine Haughton, From Voice online

Poll reveals more than a quarter of our readers would rather face jail

IN THE shadow of the Iraq war, British MPs last month voted against the possibility of military intervention in Syria.

It follows allegations that the Arab nation’s president, Bashar al-Assad, authorised the use of chemical weapon against civilians as a bitter civil war rages.

The United Nations has since concluded that the toxin sarin was used “on a relatively large scale” in the Ghouta area of Damascus on August 21.

On Monday (September 16), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon branded it a war crime, but did not attribute blame.

Judging by the various social network sites, forums, media reports and opinion polls, the British public was supportive of the outcome.

Yet with the constant political unrest in the Middle East, future conflict involving British forces could be a possibility, particularly if Syria fails to hand over its chemical arsenal, in accordance with UN resolution.

But should that day come, would black Britons be willing to put their life on the line for this country?

According to a poll of Voice readers conducted over the past week, only 15 per cent of people stated that they would definitely defend the Crown, citing a sense of loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen or to repay Britain for its support of the black community.

A further 28 per cent of respondents said they would rather be sent to prison than willingly join the armed forces.

According to Government statistics, on October 1, 2012, 7.1 per cent of the regular armed forces described themselves as from a black or minority ethnic background – which was a record high from a total of 205,330 recruits.

At 10.1 per cent, the army has the highest proportion, followed by the naval service (3.5 per cent of 34,360) and then the RAF (2 per cent of 37, 540.)

CYNICISM

Activist Marc Wadsworth, the son of an RAF pilot and a former cadet himself, said the experiences black people born in Britain have faced over the years have led to cynicism towards the armed forces.

The broadcaster, who has produced a documentary called Divided By Race, United In War And Peace examining the contributions of black people to the British war effort, said: “Caribbean people played an important role in both major wars of the last century, but the dimensions were completely different than today.

“Back then, Jamaica, Barbados and the rest were still part of the Commonwealth and felt a duty [to help Britain], but now we are actually living in the motherland and we’re generally wary of being part of similar imperialism elsewhere in the world. When it comes to wars nowadays, we are much more sceptical as to the reasons behind it.”

SUPPRESSION

He explained: “In the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq in particular, the people our forces were fighting against were people of colour and I don’t think we would want to be part of putting other people through the suppression which we have faced.

“If like in the Second World War, we come under attack and are forced to defend this country, I am sure that most black people, like our white peers, will stand together to fight the enemy.”

Identity and patriotism, or the lack thereof, appeared to play a vital role reflecting elements of the black community who still feel uncomfortable identifying themselves as English or British.

Instead, the term African Caribbean has emerged in the past 20 years, allowing individuals to align themselves with the homeland of their ancestors.

A study published in June by the University of Manchester, Who Feels British? found that only 55 per cent of Black Caribbeans identified with being British, 26 per cent as English and approximately 13 per cent identified with the Caribbean. For Black Africans, this was 41 per cent, 10 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.

INEQUALITY

Some critics have argued that the reluctance to align with Britain relates to issues of racism and other examples of inequality, which means black and minority ethnic people do not always feel they have a stake in society.

Black soldiers are also still likely to face racism from colleagues in the army. In 2010, a Jamaican army chef, Kerry Hylton was awarded £22,000 in compensation by an employment tribunal after he was called a “black b*****d” by a lance corporal colleague while serving with the Welsh Guard near Buckingham Palace.

According to the British Crime Survey for 2011/12, 5,816 race hate crimes were recorded by the police, ranging from spitting to assault.

A fifth of white British people live in low-income households, compared to 30 per cent of Black Caribbeans and nearly half of all black Africans in the UK.

Meanwhile, black people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white peers.

For those lucky enough to have a stable career, the perennial glass-ceiling is still an issue for them.

Ivorian Tidjane Thiam, who studied in France, is the only black chief executive of a FTSE 100 company, while the Supreme Court, the highest in the land, has no African Caribbean representation.

Coupled with black and ethnic minorities accounting for around 57 per cent of the 1.2 million stop-and-searches occurring in 2010/11, it can be understandable why some black people may find it hard to defend this country.

As Wadsworth highlighted, African and Caribbean people have a strong history of contributing to the military services. The nursing efforts of Jamaican Mary Seacole in the Crimean War, soldier-turned-footballer Walter Tull’s advancement as the first non-white combat officer in the British Army during World War One and Dudley Thompson’s heroic work as a RAF pilot during the Second World War are just a few examples.

STRUGGLE

Of the thousands of African Caribbean representatives who became involved in World War I and II, most were middle-class individuals who had not even stepped foot in the UK, but understood the relevance of the wars in their struggle for political and constitutional change in the West Indies.

Today, a man and woman joining the UK military can look forward to a relatively secure career at a time when the job market remains fruitless for many – even well-qualified candidates.

With a good starting salary of around £20,000, a pension and the opportunity to learn a variety of new skills as you travel the world trying to help people, the career can appear very attractive to some.

RECRUITMENT

In October last year, the armed forces launched a recruitment drive to attract people of different backgrounds. “The British Army needs to reflect British society,” said Defence Minister Philip Hammond. “This is clearly a challenge now; to recruit from the ethnic minorities within British society in proportions that reflect that society.”

Former athlete Kriss Akabusi, who grew up in the care system, joined the army at 16.

The Olympian credited Sergeant Ian MacKenzie with being responsible for him building his confidence and discipline, as well as introducing him to athletics.

“Having been in a secure environment, the thought of leaving care and living alone at 16 was terrifying. For me there was only one answer, swapping one institution of rules and regulations for another – the army,” he said.

“The army’s not for everyone, but what should be for all these teenagers is a sense of safety, security and well-being. They should not be disadvantaged because of their background.

The athlete turned army man continued: “While I joined the army, some of my contemporaries were involved in gang warfare, GBH, driving and taking away cars; a couple of girls were involved in the sex industry, drugs and even one of them died.”

For many people, the idea of losing your life on the battlefield is one risk, but the long-term mental and emotional effects can be devastating if a soldier survives the course of war and is of a greater concern.

In 2012, more British soldiers and veterans committed suicide than those who actually died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

According to the Ministry of Defence, 21 serving soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans, while the Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action.

CASUALTIES

Then you have the tragic causalities that can occur in training, as shown recently by the death of Nigerian soldier Private Michael Ihemere, 26, a member of the 1st Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, who collapsed and died while taking part in an army training session in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. He had served in Helmand.

PHOTOS:

DIED IN TRAINING: Nigerian soldier Michael Ihemere

FACED RACISM: Private Kerry Hylton

TRAILBLAZERS: Soldiers in the West Indian Regiment of the British Army

WAR HERO: Walter Tull died in battle

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http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/would-you-die-country