Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Jun 3rd 2011, 2:57 am
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Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Good on Hill to take a stand. He coulda kept quiet like soo many, who either don't care or are concerned about money making ventures that involves Bahrain and the rest of the Gulf .
http://motorld.com/21236/hill-urges-...ahrain-in-2011
Excerpt from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011...ain-grand-prix
http://motorld.com/21236/hill-urges-...ahrain-in-2011
Damon Hill has urged Formula One to take the moral high ground and resist the urge to take Bahrain's money and reschedule the 2011 Bahrain grand prix.
The FIA will meet in Barcelona on Friday to discuss reshuffling the inaugural Indian Grand Prix to December to squeeze the troubled island Kingdom into this year's F1 calendar.
Martial law in Bahrain ended on Wednesday, but reports of violence continued to emanate and Hill, the 1996 world champion and president of the British grand prix organiser BRDC said F1 should not go there this year.
"You can't just base your decision to hold a race in a country on that country's ability to pay," he is quoted by the Daily Mail.
"Formula One cannot put its head in the sand concerning the Bahrain grand prix because it is a very volatile situation out there and F1 is involved," said the Briton.
Hill scolded F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone for taking a flippant approach to Bahrain so far.
"I think sometimes Bernie doesn't express himself in the way that he really means. You can't always talk about serious issues in a light hearted way," he concluded.
The FIA will meet in Barcelona on Friday to discuss reshuffling the inaugural Indian Grand Prix to December to squeeze the troubled island Kingdom into this year's F1 calendar.
Martial law in Bahrain ended on Wednesday, but reports of violence continued to emanate and Hill, the 1996 world champion and president of the British grand prix organiser BRDC said F1 should not go there this year.
"You can't just base your decision to hold a race in a country on that country's ability to pay," he is quoted by the Daily Mail.
"Formula One cannot put its head in the sand concerning the Bahrain grand prix because it is a very volatile situation out there and F1 is involved," said the Briton.
Hill scolded F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone for taking a flippant approach to Bahrain so far.
"I think sometimes Bernie doesn't express himself in the way that he really means. You can't always talk about serious issues in a light hearted way," he concluded.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011...ain-grand-prix
Hill, the son of the two-time F1 world champion Graham, has always been concerned about the image of the sport and he added: "Formula One, its teams, its drivers and its sponsors, has to stand for values which are positive and aspirational.
"The ruling family in Bahrain have said they want to stage a race there, and we all do. But F1 must align itself with progression, not repression, and a lot of demonstrations in that country have been brutally repressed. You are either aware of that or you're not.
"The ruling family in Bahrain have said they want to stage a race there, and we all do. But F1 must align itself with progression, not repression, and a lot of demonstrations in that country have been brutally repressed. You are either aware of that or you're not.
Jun 3rd 2011, 3:00 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
This is good. I was wandering when someone would have the b@lls to speak out about this.
Considering this weekend there was talk about Hamilton bringing the game into disrepute with this Ali G comment (one of the 'rules' is that drivers should not do this), then Ecclestone should follow suit.
Considering this weekend there was talk about Hamilton bringing the game into disrepute with this Ali G comment (one of the 'rules' is that drivers should not do this), then Ecclestone should follow suit.
Jun 3rd 2011, 5:18 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
This is good. I was wandering when someone would have the b@lls to speak out about this.
Considering this weekend there was talk about Hamilton bringing the game into disrepute with this Ali G comment (one of the 'rules' is that drivers should not do this), then Ecclestone should follow suit.
Considering this weekend there was talk about Hamilton bringing the game into disrepute with this Ali G comment (one of the 'rules' is that drivers should not do this), then Ecclestone should follow suit.
Jun 3rd 2011, 12:09 pm
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
I'm biased since I live in Bahrain of course, however still I find it peculiar that the teams and drivers have a problem with Bahrain, but have no such concerns about China and India (who don't exactly rank highly in terms of human rights and have plenty of unrest)...If they are going to make a political stand my opinion is that they need to do it across the board!!
Also even if Bahrain isn't rescheduled then what about next year? Are we saying that it is okay to race in 2012 because the unrest happened in a different year? I find the whole thing a bit hypocritical..
Also even if Bahrain isn't rescheduled then what about next year? Are we saying that it is okay to race in 2012 because the unrest happened in a different year? I find the whole thing a bit hypocritical..
Jun 4th 2011, 4:01 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Formula 1 picks Bahrain's money over human rights. Not urprising as Bahrain is a Western ally so there siply isn't any meaningfull protest from Western establishment.
http://jalopnik.com/5808283/formula-...eoples-freedom
http://jalopnik.com/5808283/formula-...eoples-freedom
Jun 4th 2011, 6:56 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Formula 1 picks Bahrain's money over human rights. Not urprising as Bahrain is a Western ally so there siply isn't any meaningfull protest from Western establishment.
http://jalopnik.com/5808283/formula-...eoples-freedom
http://jalopnik.com/5808283/formula-...eoples-freedom
> rubber bullets fired upon protesters yesterday; this was indeed reported in some international media, but I could not find it mentioned by any of the people considered reliable on twitter yesterday. i don't know if it happened or not, but how did Justin Hyde know about it (or is he just regurgitating)?
> the crackdown has been among the most brutal in the middle east. really?
> at least 30 people killed. possibly, but the quoted figure seems to have landed on 20 in all other media. did he add 50% for effect?
> a quarter of the workers at the circuit have been beaten or fired? really? the workers at the circuit are mostly Indians from what i have seen so not sure who he's talking about.
Anyway, let's see what happens in the coming months. The Bahraini government has a lot of work to do in fixing the unease still smoldering under the surface, and if they cannot then I somehow doubt there will be a grand prix this year or next for that matter.
By the way, did anyone see the comment on BBC News from Nabeel Rajab. He calls himself as a human rights activist, but the first thing he does is call people to arms. What a nice chap!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/form...e/13647920.stm
Jun 4th 2011, 7:34 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
I'm biased since I live in Bahrain of course, however still I find it peculiar that the teams and drivers have a problem with Bahrain, but have no such concerns about China and India (who don't exactly rank highly in terms of human rights and have plenty of unrest)...If they are going to make a political stand my opinion is that they need to do it across the board!!
Also even if Bahrain isn't rescheduled then what about next year? Are we saying that it is okay to race in 2012 because the unrest happened in a different year? I find the whole thing a bit hypocritical..
Also even if Bahrain isn't rescheduled then what about next year? Are we saying that it is okay to race in 2012 because the unrest happened in a different year? I find the whole thing a bit hypocritical..
those pretty boys are conveniently selective in their judgement...and as soon as their livelihood is seriously affected by taking on the bigger, more powerful countries, they will capitulate ..
disgusting
either take a stand and be consistent across the board or wilt away under the sporting glare that 'sportsman shall not get involved in politics'
Jun 4th 2011, 7:44 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Regardless of my opinion of whether it was right to reschedule or not, that article is some of the most ridiculous piece of journalism (not even sure that is an appropriate term for it) I have ever read.
> rubber bullets fired upon protesters yesterday; this was indeed reported in some international media, but I could not find it mentioned by any of the people considered reliable on twitter yesterday. i don't know if it happened or not, but how did Justin Hyde know about it (or is he just regurgitating)?
> the crackdown has been among the most brutal in the middle east. really?
> at least 30 people killed. possibly, but the quoted figure seems to have landed on 20 in all other media. did he add 50% for effect?
> a quarter of the workers at the circuit have been beaten or fired? really? the workers at the circuit are mostly Indians from what i have seen so not sure who he's talking about.
Anyway, let's see what happens in the coming months. The Bahraini government has a lot of work to do in fixing the unease still smoldering under the surface, and if they cannot then I somehow doubt there will be a grand prix this year or next for that matter.
By the way, did anyone see the comment on BBC News from Nabeel Rajab. He calls himself as a human rights activist, but the first thing he does is call people to arms. What a nice chap!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/form...e/13647920.stm
> rubber bullets fired upon protesters yesterday; this was indeed reported in some international media, but I could not find it mentioned by any of the people considered reliable on twitter yesterday. i don't know if it happened or not, but how did Justin Hyde know about it (or is he just regurgitating)?
> the crackdown has been among the most brutal in the middle east. really?
> at least 30 people killed. possibly, but the quoted figure seems to have landed on 20 in all other media. did he add 50% for effect?
> a quarter of the workers at the circuit have been beaten or fired? really? the workers at the circuit are mostly Indians from what i have seen so not sure who he's talking about.
Anyway, let's see what happens in the coming months. The Bahraini government has a lot of work to do in fixing the unease still smoldering under the surface, and if they cannot then I somehow doubt there will be a grand prix this year or next for that matter.
By the way, did anyone see the comment on BBC News from Nabeel Rajab. He calls himself as a human rights activist, but the first thing he does is call people to arms. What a nice chap!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/form...e/13647920.stm
"It's a very sad moment. It seems that their [Formula 1 organisers] benefit and their interest has more importance than the human rights of people in this part of the region.
"It's very upsetting, and the people are very upset.
"Already they have called the day of that racing 'a day of rage', where they're going to come out everywhere, in every city of Bahrain, to show anger to what the Bahrain government, the Bahrain regime, is doing towards their own people."
"It's very upsetting, and the people are very upset.
"Already they have called the day of that racing 'a day of rage', where they're going to come out everywhere, in every city of Bahrain, to show anger to what the Bahrain government, the Bahrain regime, is doing towards their own people."
Jun 4th 2011, 7:49 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
completely agree Norsk
those pretty boys are conveniently selective in their judgement...and as soon as their livelihood is seriously affected by taking on the bigger, more powerful countries, they will capitulate ..
disgusting
either take a stand and be consistent across the board or wilt away under the sporting glare that 'sportsman shall not get involved in politics'
those pretty boys are conveniently selective in their judgement...and as soon as their livelihood is seriously affected by taking on the bigger, more powerful countries, they will capitulate ..
disgusting
either take a stand and be consistent across the board or wilt away under the sporting glare that 'sportsman shall not get involved in politics'
Jun 4th 2011, 8:03 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
While there are other cases that should merit condemnation, is it not better to do what one can than to make it an either all or none scenario? Where would the world be if everyone simply pointed at others doing similar stuff as an excuse to allow them to excape any criticism of their actions.
so why haven't they
Jun 4th 2011, 8:06 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Where does it say he calls for a "Call to Arms"?
If you mean his call for protests, then what is wrong with protesting and being a human rights activist? I wouldn't even consider using force as being contradictory to being a human rights activist because when peacefull opposition is made impossible then violent opposition ensues.
If you mean his call for protests, then what is wrong with protesting and being a human rights activist? I wouldn't even consider using force as being contradictory to being a human rights activist because when peacefull opposition is made impossible then violent opposition ensues.
Were you in Bahrain when they were "peacefully" protesting? No. Right. It's true it was peaceful when they sat around Pearl Roundabout for a few weeks smoking shisha and drinking tea, but in truth there wasn't much protesting going on. They were having a party more like it. Once it escalated into something else there wasn't much that was peaceful about the protesting.
Were they forced into being violent? I'm sure they were to some extent, but this was no different from protests in any part of the world. The police/army will use clubs, shoot rubber bullets, teargas and so on. It's not great, but don't forget they are trying to keep the peace for the remaining population.
Like most expats living in Bahrain, I am also of the opinion that it needs to become more democratic and inclusive, but I'm not sure that the tactics used in Arab Spring are working as intended. Do you think Egypt will be democratic anytime soon? Tunisia? Never mind Libya, Syria and Yemen....
Sorry mate. It's not personal and I hope you don't take it that way, but I am (like many others who live in Bahrain) fed up of the one-sided reporting that has been going on for months. The results is that I am no longer able to read a newspaper article without wondering about how true it actually is.
Jun 4th 2011, 8:10 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
While there are other cases that should merit condemnation, is it not better to do what one can than to make it an either all or none scenario? Where would the world be if everyone simply pointed at others doing similar stuff as an excuse to allow them to excape any criticism of their actions.
loads of countries regularly break human rights regulations as stipulated by the UN, but western countries are consistently willing to turn a blind eye as we have other interests with those countries (oil, trade, investment)...
i mean look at the country up the street that starts with an I and ends with an L...
Last edited by norsk; Jun 4th 2011 at 9:00 am. Reason: spelling
Jun 4th 2011, 9:10 pm
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Something is better than nothing. If one expects people to talk about every single case of human rights just so that they can be accepted for criticising a particular case, then human rights will never advance. Because every supporter of a particular country/group will simply point the finger at others as an excuse that others do it too. The result being everyone pointing fingers at someone.
I don't disagree that other countries like India or Abu Dhabi also should be taken to task but it a losing battle to take on everyone at the same time with the same entusiasm, and the odds against the person taking a stand is already piss poor.
I don't disagree that other countries like India or Abu Dhabi also should be taken to task but it a losing battle to take on everyone at the same time with the same entusiasm, and the odds against the person taking a stand is already piss poor.
Jun 4th 2011, 9:15 pm
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
isn't this the case though?
loads of countries regularly break human rights regulations as stipulated by the UN, but western countries are consistently willing to turn a blind eye as we have other interests with those countries (oil, trade, investment)...
i mean look at the country up the street that starts with an I and ends with an L...
loads of countries regularly break human rights regulations as stipulated by the UN, but western countries are consistently willing to turn a blind eye as we have other interests with those countries (oil, trade, investment)...
i mean look at the country up the street that starts with an I and ends with an L...
Jun 5th 2011, 3:43 am
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Re: Damon Hill urges F1 to skip Bahrain GP on moral reasons.
Something is better than nothing. If one expects people to talk about every single case of human rights just so that they can be accepted for criticising a particular case, then human rights will never advance. Because every supporter of a particular country/group will simply point the finger at others as an excuse that others do it too. The result being everyone pointing fingers at someone.
I don't disagree that other countries like India or Abu Dhabi also should be taken to task but it a losing battle to take on everyone at the same time with the same entusiasm, and the odds against the person taking a stand is already piss poor.
I don't disagree that other countries like India or Abu Dhabi also should be taken to task but it a losing battle to take on everyone at the same time with the same entusiasm, and the odds against the person taking a stand is already piss poor.
but now you say something is better than nothing- are you for real?