Guantanamo in England?

Two days ago, police in London shot and killed a 27-year-old terror suspect from Brazil. It turned out, rather quickly, that the guy was an innocent electrician just going about his business. The government of Brazil is outraged. The police in London are embarrassed and speak of a terrible mistake. The public in general is asking why suspects can be shot on the open street without trial or jury. Are the police allowed to act as a lynch mob?

The outrage is understandable, but for me the shooting is just another step on the frightening course of our civilization into anomie. The previous was the incarceration, for about three years now, of terror suspects in the United States off-shore penitentiary at Guantanamo Bay, an area deliberately chosen to be beyond the bounds of law. The prisoners are just as lacking of basic rights as the poor Brazilian electrician was. They are still alive, but their lives are suspended. They are locked up indefinitely with no idea why exactly and with no opportunity to address the charged because there aren’t any and no one is listening to them anyway.

Terror needs to be fought relentlessly but not with any means possible. The question that needs to be asked is what is possible, what is acceptable. It is intolerable that people are being killed because, well just because, for no reason whatsoever. It is also intolerable that because of the acts of lawless terrorist our society is itself becoming lawless. We are fighting terrorism not emulating it. Before you accept everything our governments cook up, ask yourself if you want to be the next entirely innocent person that is shot by police just because you are commuting to work. Is it any better than being killed by terrorists?