In your opinion, are civilians still non combatants if they attack soldiers with bricks or petrol bombs?

@WintaTheAngle ilovethetiananmensquaremassacre.com

@Ozymandiaz That link won’t open. Maybe try a sentence?

@WintaTheAngle You can work it out. I have faith in you lol

@Ozymandiaz A man standing in front of a tank not attacking anyone has no relevance to this post or my reply.

I’m sure you think you’re being clever, but it just seems that way.

@WintaTheAngle That right cause that is all it was a man standing in front of a tank .... good job 😂

@Ozymandiaz Oh run along you little prick. Nobody is impressed.

@WintaTheAngle You are too easy 😂

@Ozymandiaz What was it about my response that upset you. And you would be buzzing around if something hadn’t before you deny it.

@WintaTheAngle Apart from it being stupid you mean?

You are right though. I was needlessly salty. I am tired and grumpy. Apologies.

@Ozymandiaz Stupid. Do you accept being pelted with bricks and petrol bombs? Anything that fires back is an acceptable target.

@Ozymandiaz Apology accepted. It happens.

@WintaTheAngle A soldier should know the difference between a trained adversary and a civilian anything else is tyranny.

@Ozymandiaz A solider has a right to defend himself again a brick in the face or being burned alive.

And it’s never so black and white. One community wants to kill him, a few streets behind him is another community depending on him for defence. Belfast, Sarajevo, Fallujah, Kandahar. Some civilians depend on you. Others want to stove your head in. Are you wise enough to the right thing by everyone? Is anyone wise enough?

@WintaTheAngle Well if you were not invading people's countries.....

@Ozymandiaz So you can tell those vulnerable communities it’s not our country so it’s no our problem? Let the catholics kill the Protestants, let the Serbs kill the Bosnians, let the Shia’s kill the Sunnis, let the Taliban kill well everyone.

Is that what you’d choose? Just ignore it because it’s not on your street?

@WintaTheAngle Well from Palestine to Northern Ireland. If the British had just stayed at home none of the areas would have had a problem.

@Ozymandiaz Even though Protestant Ulster needed us for protection? Even though elements of both the Jews and Arabs wanted is there because the French failed and the US refused? We weren’t there because it was easy or because we profited from it, but because communities depended on us.

Also it’s very brave of you to jab at other people without declaring your own nationality.

@WintaTheAngle Sorry dude, I just can't deal with this level of jingoistic bias, I'm out. But if you would like some books to read in and around the topics you just mentioned let me know. I can recommend a few.

@Ozymandiaz Each to their own.

Some us go out in the world and be a part of it. Others stay home and read about it and try tell people how it works.

@WintaTheAngle Trust me I have been to both of those places you just mentioned. I bet I have spent more time in them than you. Have you ever been to Northern Ireland or Israel/Palestine? I have also read extensively about them.

@Ozymandiaz No my tour took me to Saudi Arabia for the second Iraq war, Cyprus for the campaign against ISIL and Italy for air operations in Libya. I do some social work with a few browns who spent time in NI, Iraq, and Afghan.

So you’re Irish? That might be explain your prejudice.

@WintaTheAngle I might have a slight bias yes. But you have an extremely unhealthy view of world history.

@Ozymandiaz In your not so humble and apparently qualified opinion. On the flip there are many people who would also find your stance abhorrent. That’s the joy of meeting people online.

@WintaTheAngle Yeah absolutely there is but those are usually people with a very strong jingoistic stance who don't really have an understanding of what they are talking about. They just spout a rose-tinted view of history that is alarmingly biased.

I am more than willing to have an open and honest discussion about Northern Ireland and how it came to find itself in the mess that it is in today.