La Marseillaise

"Farm workers are not the same as farmers".

Too right. One is black and one is white. Guess which one 666 cares about, readers. Incidentally, 280,000 South Africans died of AIDS in 2010, virtually all of them black. The HIV rate in the black population is around 15% nationally and way higher than that in many townships. About 0.3% of the whites in South Africa have HIV. The great majority of black South Africans with HIV receive no treatment for the condition so most die from its effects.

But I guess they are not white farmers so we don't care too much about that, do we?

Don't be so embarrassed by your ill-conceived and meaningless gestures that you feel obliged to cast wholly unfounded aspersions on the character of others: the topic, your topic, was around the murder victims of the Paris attacks. Not quite sure if they mentioned it in your medical courses but dying of aids isn't classed as murder, unless you've recently been ragdolled around by Charlie Sheen obviously.

Minute's silence before the Cardiff match: another opportunity to show your empathy to all the victims' relatives in attendance, ie none at all.

If, as you say, the topic is simply about the Paris victims then why did you choose to chirp up about something different? It was you who chose to denigrate the sentiment by talking about others who are denied such pity. Is a painful death from AIDS less worthy of our sympathy than a murder now? The point I'm making is that it is very easy for a small-minded individual to make endless snide comments of the "Yeah, but" variety until you end up chasing your own tail. There will always be someone you've left out, someone equally worthy of mention, like the black AIDS victims you appear not to give a stuff about. Expressing sympathy about something worthy of that sympathy can never be a bad thing, however much you carp.

Where've I said it's a "bad thing" to express sympathy?

I've merely enquired as to why some seemingly deserve countless anthems, silences and general sackcloth and ashes whilst others evidently from the 'wrong' demographic don't warrant so much as an afterthought. Even the policedog has had more column inches than the 120 Kenyan students massacred earlier this year ffs: where's the 'humanity' in that?

No it didn't. The Kenyan students received massive publicity.

I agree that the media reaction is way over the top and therefore gives ISIS exactly what they want. It's a strange war we are fighting. The press just love a good shooting.

i don't think it was massive: it was certainly reported but nothing like on this scale.

It doesn't sell as many adverts

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34877069

A ton appel, Mali,
Pour ta prospérité
Fidèle à ton destin
Nous seron tous unis,
Un peuple, un but, une foi.
Pour une Afrique unie
Si l'ennemi découvre son front
Au dedans ou au dehors
Debout sur les remparts
Nous sommes résolus de mourir.
CHORUS
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali
Notre drapeau sera liberté.
Pour l'Afrique et pour toi, Mali
Notre combat sera unité.
O Mali d'aujourd'hui,
O Mali, de demain
Les champs fleurissent d'espérance,
Les cœurs vibren de confidance.
Debout, villes et campagnes,
Debout, femmes, jeunes et vieux
Pour la Patrie en marche
Vers l'avenir radeiux
Pour notre dignité.
Renforçons bien nos rangs,
Pour le salut public
Forgeons le bien commun
Ensemble, au coude à coude
Faisons le chantier du bonheur.
CHORUS
La voie est dure, très dure
Qui mène au bonheur commun
Courage et dévouement,
Vigilance à tout moment,
(repeat previous two lines)
Vérité des temps anciens,
Vérité des tous les jours,
Le bonheur par le labeur
Fera la Mali de demain.
CHORUS
L'Afrique se lève enfin
Saluons ce jour nouveau.
Saluons la liberté,
Marchons ver l'unité.
Dignité retrouvée
Soutient notre combat.
Fidelès à notre serment
De faire l'Afrique unie
Ensemble, debout mes frères
Tous au rendez-vous de l'honneur.

Not quite as bloodthirsty as Vidals' current favourite anthem but at least he's got the accent down

Yes. Another one to sing along to. With both this and La Marseillaise, if anyone is joining in and is struggling to remember all of the words, they will find that the phrase: "Six six six: quel oinkeur, quel oinkeur", provided it is sung in the appropriate French accent, a handy alternative which will show their solidarity with all right-thinking individuals.

ISIS wins in their economic jihad, assuming of course that we have a national minutes silence for each instance of their murderous campaign which we shan't, given that most of their victims look nothing like us. Vive la difference.