Letters: West finds the bombing of people with black, brown or yellow faces less shameful than those with white faces

Since that broadcast I have always held the view that many people in the West have found the bombing of innocent people with black, brown or yellow faces less shameful than people with white faces. Is this a reason so many are willing to countenance pointless, illegal wars? In my then place of work there was a minute's silence for innocent New Yorkers killed in the 9/11 attacks, why not a similar ceremony for innocent Baghdadis?

Putin's war is shining a light on the kind of world we are living in, shining a light too on the kind of country we are living in. We really have a problem, and the Labour Party certainly has a problem, if responses to the Ukrainian nightmare allow for the political rehabilitation of Sir Tony Blair and his acolytes.

Brian Harvey, Hamilton.

BRITAIN'S VISA SHAME

I AM ashamed to be British. On Friday morning I applied to join the Homes for Ukraine scheme run by the UK Government. In the evening I received an email in reply that is patronising and self-righteous in the extreme. I quote: "It is heart-warming that so many people, charities, businesses and faith groups have offered to help. This public response is truly in keeping with our country's long history of helping others in their hour of need."

The letter than goes on to explain how this hour of need will extend probably into months of need for these poor people. Each individual person, young or old, needs a visa, which then has to be checked by the "UK authorities". These people will have to make their own way to the UK, but not until the visa application has been approved. No planes for them, as were sent for the few people we got out of Afghanistan last year.

How on earth these people fleeing for their lives will manage to apply online for a visa and travel documents from a cellar or tent or wherever they are managing to find somewhere to exist is beyond me.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow.

UN SHOULD CALL UKRAINE VOTE

THE suffering in Ukraine will not end till the war ends. The UK Government should ask the Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire, followed by a plebiscite by the Secretary-General to determine the wishes of all the people of Ukraine.

Under Article 27.3 of the Charter, Russia has no veto, being party to the war. The resolution could in any case go on to the General Assembly, like the resolution in March 2014 which declared the Crimean referendum invalid. China would probably again abstain.

Vladmir Putin will be even more isolated and exposed. The more he persists in the war, the more support he will lose, even among Russian speakers. He might come to welcome the plebiscite as a means of escape. But even the people of Donbas and Crimea may decide that freedom, truth and democracy in Europe are preferable to dictatorship, isolation and lies in Russia.

David Gracie, Edinburgh.

THE GASLIGHTING OF OUR TEACHERS

I NOTE with interest today's report by John-Paul Holden ("Teachers covering up bad pupil behaviour to avoid ‘black mark’", The Herald, March 21).

On May 21, 2019, my letter headed "The erosion of teacher authority" was kindly published in these pages. That letter explained the "behaviour management" procedures which fell under the heading of "Assertive Discipline" which had been in operation for some time. I wrote that letter to clarify the conditions under which teachers were expected to maintain classroom discipline: "The lack of a) a written report and b) the compulsion to keep the pupil in class (inclusion) results in a) no written evidence: no problem; b) to those further up the food chain: not their problem."

It grieves me that despite numerous articles expressing concern at the growing incidence of violence towards teachers that the Scottish Government states "the guidance places greater importance on preventative approaches, including good behaviour management".

Evidence both written and anecdotal suggests that the procedures implemented, strategies that teachers were forced to adopt, despite indications that such measures would only result in a deterioration in behaviour, have indeed brought about what experience and common sense predicted. That "teachers are prevented from reporting all the incidents" is nothing short of criminal. That the Government says "we have been clear with schools and local authorities that exclusion should be the last resort" can only be described as a dereliction of duty and the gaslighting of a whole profession into believing that somehow it's their fault. If the Scottish Government seeks "to promote positive relationships and tackle indiscipline, abuse and violence" then I strongly suggest it reconsiders the concepts of boundaries and consequences.

Maureen McGarry-O'Hanlon, Balloch.

LET'S HAVE AN APOLOGY FOR CATS

WITH the UK's first official "witch" now allowed to claim expenses ("UK’s first official ‘witch’ is allowed to claim spells and potion expenses”, The Herald, March 21) and the Scottish Government’s apology for the "historical injustice" of witch hunts, I hope the opprobrium heaped on black cats as satanic familiars will also be addressed.

Moggies have long had negative and positive powers attributed to them, as omens of evil, bad luck, ill health, good luck, prosperity, and the time for their full rehabilitation has now arrived. Busy Nicola Sturgeon, as First Minister, should prioritise twinning with the US Black Cat Appreciation Day (August 18).

R Russell Smith, Largs.