(English is my second language, so please excuse my language problems:)
Yes, I cried when other prisoners threw lighted papers from the window; yes, Daniel-Day Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite were great actors; but other than that, what impressed me most was the complete change of attitudes of the public between the two trials. At first, audience in the court were yelling "hang these Irish bastards", they were throwing all their hatred to the Guildford Four, even the judge said "I wonder why you are not charged as treason". They were biased, cheated by the prosecutes who fabricated lies to cater to the public, because the loss of 5 lives needed someone to be responsible for. But after 15 years, when the truth was presented, the public went to parade, they plead the court to free the four, they wanted to right the wrong. They were becoming rational, they felt for the innocent, so they acted.
But this is not what happens here in China. The government is never transparent to the public, the media is censored so that cases like the Guildford 4 (especially if it is injustice) will never be known to the general public unless you are "in the business". Because the public is banning from first-hand information, people are unaware of government's wrongdoings; even if they are aware, there is almost nothing they can do (party monopoly, corruption all lead to this). So they kept silent, pretending nothing ever happened. I once read on a book, saying "silence is the most terrifying weapon". Today I have to admit this fact; but I want to say and plea to all my fellow citizens: pretending to be deaf doesn't mean that there is no voice in the society to be heard. They are merely sunk in the indifferent public. So please pay attention to politics, to events taking place in courts. Maybe someday we also will make cardboards with slogans on then and march in streets. Efforts from individuals could gather to really make change.
Yes, I cried when other prisoners threw lighted papers from the window; yes, Daniel-Day Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite were great actors; but other than that, what impressed me most was the complete change of attitudes of the public between the two trials. At first, audience in the court were yelling "hang these Irish bastards", they were throwing all their hatred to the Guildford Four, even the judge said "I wonder why you are not charged as treason". They were biased, cheated by the prosecutes who fabricated lies to cater to the public, because the loss of 5 lives needed someone to be responsible for. But after 15 years, when the truth was presented, the public went to parade, they plead the court to free the four, they wanted to right the wrong. They were becoming rational, they felt for the innocent, so they acted.
But this is not what happens here in China. The government is never transparent to the public, the media is censored so that cases like the Guildford 4 (especially if it is injustice) will never be known to the general public unless you are "in the business". Because the public is banning from first-hand information, people are unaware of government's wrongdoings; even if they are aware, there is almost nothing they can do (party monopoly, corruption all lead to this). So they kept silent, pretending nothing ever happened. I once read on a book, saying "silence is the most terrifying weapon". Today I have to admit this fact; but I want to say and plea to all my fellow citizens: pretending to be deaf doesn't mean that there is no voice in the society to be heard. They are merely sunk in the indifferent public. So please pay attention to politics, to events taking place in courts. Maybe someday we also will make cardboards with slogans on then and march in streets. Efforts from individuals could gather to really make change.