Police reportedly open fire on striking miners armed with machetes and spears

[Garyvdh]

Gary, watch the EWN clip again... The tear gas is fired by an officer on the police's right flank and a couple of seconds later the protesters rush in the direction of the police on the left flank... away from the gas.
Anyone who has ever been tear gassed will tell you, you don't hang about, you run, and worse still, you run blindly 'cos you can't see. The more I watch the clips, the more I am convinced that that's exactly what happened.
I also have to add, those SAPS weapons were on automatic... Maybe things have changed (a lot) but I was trained to fire on semi-automatic only back in my SADF days. The key word there is trained. When you heard "cease fire" you stopped firing. The officers at Lonmin seemed to have forgotten that or not known that in the first place... You can hear four or five voices shouting cease fire while the shooting continues.
IMO sad day for us and I think it'll get sadder when the enquiries results are in.

I don't give a crap what they were running from... this was a mob of murderers who had hacked two policeman to death earlier in the week and had burned two security guards to death. Sorry, it is hard to have any kind of sympathy AT ALL for savages like that. Not to mention that the police recovered the weapons of the police officers from among the bodies of those who were shot on Friday. So your feeble attempts at painting this like a tragedy is an utter waste of time. The only tragedy is that the poor policeman have to deal with the post trauma after having to defend themselves with live ammo. I am sure that must be an awful burden to bear, even if you know you were in the right.

[Sinbad]

The lower jaw of one of those burned security guards was hacked off (while he was alive) and is being carried around by these thugs in a jar.

Source: one of the full time medics based at the mine.

[Zenbaas]

Gary, watch the EWN clip again... The tear gas is fired by an officer on the police's right flank and a couple of seconds later the protesters rush in the direction of the police on the left flank... away from the gas.
Anyone who has ever been tear gassed will tell you, you don't hang about, you run, and worse still, you run blindly 'cos you can't see. The more I watch the clips, the more I am convinced that that's exactly what happened.
I also have to add, those SAPS weapons were on automatic... Maybe things have changed (a lot) but I was trained to fire on semi-automatic only back in my SADF days. The key word there is trained. When you heard "cease fire" you stopped firing. The officers at Lonmin seemed to have forgotten that or not known that in the first place... You can hear four or five voices shouting cease fire while the shooting continues.
IMO sad day for us and I think it'll get sadder when the enquiries results are in.

Just a quick question though. You say they were running away... Then why were they firing at the police as can be seen in the last clip posted in this thread just before the police returned fire...?

[Quantum Theory]

The lower jaw of one of those burned security guards was hacked off (while he was alive) and is being carried around by these thugs in a jar.

Source: one of the full time medics based at the mine.

A lot of information is not reported. The press are being ridiculously biased... and the good guys are being turned into villains.

[greg0205]

I don't give a crap what they were running from... this was a mob of murderers who had hacked two policeman to death earlier in the week and had burned two security guards to death. Sorry, it is hard to have any kind of sympathy AT ALL for savages like that. Not to mention that the police recovered the weapons of the police officers from among the bodies of those who were shot on Friday. So your feeble attempts at painting this like a tragedy is an utter waste of time. The only tragedy is that the poor policeman have to deal with the post trauma after having to defend themselves with live ammo. I am sure that must be an awful burden to bear, even if you know you were in the right.

Yeah, at least those Lonmin orphans and widows will be spared that post traumatic stress dissorder... They will still be orphans and widows 'tho, and that's kinda a downer.
Post traumatic trauma usually stems from guilt, but I see where you are trying to go there... Again, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

[Sinbad]

Yeah, at least those Lonmin orphans and widows will be spared that post traumatic stress dissorder... They will still be orphans and widows 'tho, and that's kinda a downer.
Post traumatic trauma usually stems from guilt, but I see where you are trying to go there... Again, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

The rioters bear responsibility for orphaning their kids. They made the choice for violent confrontation. Don't put it on the cops. I hope you're never in a situation where you depend on a policeman to protect your family. I'm sure you'll also want to kiss your attackers' feet too right? After all it must be your fault they want to rob you...

[greg0205]

Just a quick question though. You say they were running away... Then why were they firing at the police as can be seen in the last clip posted in this thread just before the police returned fire...?

Which clip? E News, AP or EWN? All three cameras are behind the police lines in the chaos and having watched them plenty you're going to have to let me know where you see the police being fired on 'cos I don't see it.

[Quantum Theory]

Which clip? E News, AP or EWN? All three cameras are behind the police lines in the chaos and having watched them plenty you're going to have to let me know where you see the police being fired on 'cos I don't see it.

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...=1#post8766993

Now stop siding with these crazy miners...

[greg0205]

The rioters bear responsibility for orphaning their kids. They made the choice for violent confrontation. Don't put it on the cops. I hope you're never in a situation where you depend on a policeman to protect your family. I'm sure you'll also want to kiss your attackers' feet too right? After all it must be your fault they want to rob you...

Check my profile brother... Robbed at gunpoint and fired at not so long ago... Started a thread to compliment the cops on the job they did.

[greg0205]

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...=1#post8766993

Now stop siding with these crazy miners...

Not siding with the miners at all... Everyone was wrong, the miners, the cops, the unions... Just saying its been a sad week to be a South African.

[Bundu]

Which clip? E News, AP or EWN? All three cameras are behind the police lines in the chaos and having watched them plenty you're going to have to let me know where you see the police being fired on 'cos I don't see it.

take a look around the middle of this 6 sec video - the miner takes a shot at the cops whilst behind the bush and you can even see the smoke from the shot

above

[Sinbad]

Not siding with the miners at all... Everyone was wrong, the miners, the cops, the unions... Just saying it been a sad week to be a South African.

Stop blaming the police then.
It's always bad to be south African because we seem to think its our democratic right to intimidate, threaten and kill to get what we want.

Striking with lethal weapons isn't striking. It is rioting.

[Quantum Theory]

Not siding with the miners at all... Everyone was wrong, the miners, the cops, the unions... Just saying it been a sad week to be a South African.

Good... because in that video, police are still shooting rubber, the miners keep advancing and then they fire live ammo. After that, police did what they had to.

[Zenbaas]

Which clip? E News, AP or EWN? All three cameras are behind the police lines in the chaos and having watched them plenty you're going to have to let me know where you see the police being fired on 'cos I don't see it.

take a look around the middle of this 6 sec video - the miner takes a shot at the cops whilst behind the bush and you can even see the smoke from the shot

Discussion started at post #414.

[Garyvdh]

Isn't it great when someone dives into a conversation all gung ho to take the opposing side right AFTER the incontrovertible evidence was posted.





Also... it's kinda suspicious.