Friday, July 22, 2011

Historic Victory for Kenyans/The Mau Mau

Four Kenyan ex-members of the so-called Mau Mau resistance have won the right to sue the British government.

The British invaded Kenya in the early 20th century and committed atrocities against the Kenyan people for decades. After many years of nonviolent resistance, many Kenyans felt they had to resort to violent action - similar to what happened on South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The British named the resistance movement "Mau Mau" in order to make them sound foreign and exotic - they called themselves the Land Freedom Army.

In a test case, four elderly Kenyans have now been granted the right to sue the UK government. I shall be blogging more about this soon. Click here to read more about this historic victory.

I have personally seen documentary footage of some of the atrocities committed by the British in Kenya - just one of the many African countries which were invaded by European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Click here to read more about the British colonial presence in Kenya.

President Obama's Kenyan grandfather was one of the many who loyally served in the British army during the Second World War - only to be imprisoned and tortured when he later expressed support for the resistance movement.

This legal decision means the fight for justice can now be taken to the next stage.

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