Terror Arrests: Some Are More Equal Than Others

The Guardian falls in with all the other media in once again providing - page one lead and double spread plus multi-linked web pages - a Media Storm to order over the arrest of some asian, muslim, brown terrorist suspects. This time the police may have got it right. But this has been the scene over and over again with such middle-of-the-night arrests of asian suspects whether they are eventually charged with anything or not.

Generally we get some hearsay suspect names, some addresses or at least streets. Sometimes we get pictures too.

What a contrast that is with the five column centimetres - in Jon Henley's diary which is the sum total of national daily newspaper coverage, neglecting the Morning Star, for the arrest of two middle-aged, white, right-wing, professional men found with 22 separate bomb making components as well as incendiary BNP literature.

In a remarkable twist the Police Superintendent on the scene told reporters all kinds of things about the arrest and his beliefs about the men's guilt or otherwise. I will not repeat these as they were facile. I cannot imagine the same mediation being spoken outside the home of a Mohammed rather than a David. But please do not assume that just because The Burnley Citizen tagged their picture of Robert Cottage's cottage "bomb" the ex-BNP boys were up to anything at all naughty with all those lovely chemicals.

Are the British Press institutionally racist? And were the local BNP having a laugh when they commented along the lines that they were glad the men had resigned as they would never want to be associated with such things. Shame there's a charge and conviction list as long as the arm of the law.