UK troops’ gravestones smashed in Libya

The graves of British soldiers have been damaged in cemeteries in the Libyan city of Benghazi while the British government continues to pose as a supporter of the Libyan people. A group of armed young men in Libya have smashed and overturned the headstones in the cemeteries in Libya where British troops killed during the Second World War were buried. This comes as the British government has repeatedly boasted of its role in the invasion of Libya and has promised to assist with the Libyan people in their struggle for a free and stable country. “Britain shares the ambitions of Libyans for a stable, prosperous country based on fundamental freedoms and human rights,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron on 17 February as the Libyan people celebrated the first anniversary of their revolution against Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship. This was not the first time Cameron made empty promises to support the Libyan people in building a better country after the ouster of Gaddafi. Cameron and French President Nicholas Sarkozy were the first western leaders who visited post-Gaddafi Libya. Their visit came as early as September last year and reeked of their countries’ worn-out colonial techniques as they hoped to win profitable oil contracts because they played a key role in invading Libya. “I’m proud of our role. But this was your revolution, not our revolution,” said Cameron during his last September’s visit. He also pledged to help the Libyans rebuild their country and reach stability. Nevertheless, one year after Libya’s revolution, Britain did not even help maintain stability in a cemetery where its own soldiers are buried. Instead, the British media have described the young men as the ‘Islamist militias’ who are angry over the mistreatment of their holy book Qur’an. Now that Britain has secured its access to Libya’s vast oil reserves, spreading Islamophobic ideas is a way to divert the public’s attention from the British government’s empty promises of establishing security and stability in the country.