Just when you thought the British had hit bottom, and couldn’t possibly show more abject dhimmitude, there comes this. Granted that they’re “innocents caught up in the police operation through no fault of their own,” is a four-star hotel really necessary or appropriate? Or is this coming from that ever-present fear of giving offense to You Know Who?
“Four-star hotel for families moved out in dawn swoop,” by Tom Harper and Adam Lusher in the Telegraph, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Dozens of people who were lodging at an East Sussex school when it was raided by anti-terrorist officers are living at a four-star hotel in Brighton at taxpayers’ expense.
Twenty-five people, from five different families, are staying at the Thistle Hotel, where rooms start at £110 a night, rising to £170 for a double and £360 for a deluxe suite. The cost, which is being met by the Metropolitan Police, is already estimated to be approaching £10,000.
The families, who everyone accepts are innocents caught up in the police operation through no fault of their own, have been told that the search of the Jameah Islamiyah school, near Tunbridge Wells, will last for at least a fortnight, taking the final bill to at least £12,000.
Those staying at the hotel have swapped the allegedly ramshackle interior of the Gothic-style school for a seafront hotel with bright, airy rooms boasting modern furniture, large en-suite bathrooms and satellite television. A swimming pool, sauna, sunbeds, beauty treatment rooms and a sea-view restaurant are all available for their use.
However, as they left the hotel on their way to Friday prayers last week, they cut gloomy, bewildered figures.
“It was either stay here or live on the street,” sighed one man, emerging from what the hotel describes as “its spectacular atrium lobby”. Others said they were still “shell-shocked” at being caught up in an anti-terror operation.
UPDATE: Jihad Watch reader Tziona says that this is “not an Islam/Jihad issue this time, UK.gov are pretty good at this type of thing, regardless of who the ‘innocents’ are – could be ‘junkies,’ ‘travellers,’ ‘dole scroungers,’ etc, this one just happens to be Muslims.” Though that would be daft in itself, it would be reassuring to see that this is not a case of abject dhimmitude. Can anyone corroborate?