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&#91EDITORIALS&#93No justifying violent acts

Published: 30 Aug. 2003, 00:53

It is shocking to see indiscriminate violence against the trailer truckers who chose to end their strike and return to work. According to news reports, three masked persons attacked a trailer trucker, breaking the window of his truck and spraying chemical foam from fire extinguishers in his face. Another report said someone threw stones at a truck being driven and broke the window. Police said they received a report that somebody shot an air rifle to stop one trucker’s operation. Family members of another trucker were said to have received threatening phone calls.
Police said they were having difficulties even though they were prepared for emergency situations because the violence was taking place so sporadically.
There is no evidence that the crimes were staged by a particular group. But police said it is likely that some union members still on strike used violence against their colleagues. The police’s reasoning is that some striking union members committed the crimes to disrupt the nomal flow of cargo by threatening fellow truckers who returned to work.
If the union thinks it is falsely accused of the crimes and wants to clear itself of the dishonor, and if it does not want to lose some citizens’ support for its cause, it should present a clear position about these cases. It should declare to its members that they should not engage in such uncivilized actions.
If some union members who are illegally striking had regarded colleagues who returned to their job as “traitors,” and really attacked them, nothing would justify their actions and they would lose ground in advocating their position.
Such brutal violence is an action that denies the rule of law and disrupts order, both foundations of a liberal democracy.
The government, which has so far halfheartedly countered violence and force by interest groups is to a certain degree responsible for the recent incidents. The government should thoroughly investigate such violence and strictly punish those who are responsible. It should never compromise with those who use violence and thus deny the legal basis and order of the country.