Seneca III returns with an investigation of what went on during the operation to rescue passengers who were trapped aboard the Norman Atlantic when it caught fire in the Aegean.

’Allo, ’allo, ’allo, an’ what do we ’ave ’ere then?

by Seneca III

As a long time aficionado of the MSM’s craven evasiveness when it comes to news of incidents that obviously have nothing to do with Islam — particularly those that at first glance actually do not appear to do so — it has become something of a hobby of mine to do a careful comparative analysis of any and all available reportage. This means a trawl through as much of the output of the Fourth Estate in the print, broadcast and electronic media as is possible. Every so often, by dint of long practice at reading the runes, I hit the mother lode.

Below is a selection of excerpts from the media (as attributed) concerning one particular aspect of the tragic fire aboard the Norman Atlantic ferry in the Aegean. The three things to watch out for are lacunae (obvious gaps or vague references in the narrative record), the juxtaposition of various comments and their attributions and overall a general air of media dissimulation.

From The Times, 30/12/14

Italy opened criminal investigations into the Norman Atlantic ferry fire as the death toll rose to ten and survivors described chaotic scenes when the blaze took hold, including fights to board rescue helicopters.

From The Daily Mail, 30/12/14

Other survivors spoke of passengers trampling over one another and fights breaking out among men forcing their way onto the helicopters before the women and children.

Turkish passenger Saadet Bayan said; “We experienced the Titanic. The only thing missing was that we didn’t sink.”

From The Telegraph, 31/12/14

“Our feet were burning and from the feet up we were soaked,” he [Christos Perlis] said. Everyone there was trampling on each other to get on to the helicopter. “First children, then women and then men. But the men, they started hitting us so they could get on first. “They didn’t take into consideration the women or the children, nothing.”

Another rescued Turkish passenger, Aylin Akamac, said the rescue operation was disorganised and that there were only three lifeboats on board. “We were soaked from the water they doused to extinguish the fire. Our feet froze. People were forced to move closer to the fire to keep warm,” she said. “We waited outside for hours.”

From BT, 31/12/14…

Den græske sopran, Dimitra Theodossiou, var ombord på færgen. Hun har fortalt til italienske medier, at hun så mænd slå på kvinder, for selv at komme først hen til redningshelikopteren.

»Det var helvede. Jeg så nogle skræmmende scener. Der var mænd, irakere, tyrkere, pakistanere på skibet, som blev sat ned for at tillade redderne at prioritere børn, ældre og kvinder. Men de klatrede, og slog og trak i folk for selv at komme frem til redningshelikopteren og i sikkerhed. Jeg blev også slået. Jeg var så rasende. Det var virkelig grimt. Jeg vil aldrig glemme det.«, fortalte Dimitra Theodossiou…

and here as translated for 10news.dk by Nicolai Sennels

The Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou was on board the ferry. She told the Italian media that she saw men beat women in order to come first to the rescue helicopter.

“It was hell. I saw some scary scenes. There were men, Iraqis, Turks, Pakistanis on the ship, who were told to sit down to allow rescuers to prioritize children, elderly and women. But they climbed, beat and pulled the people to come first to the rescue helicopter and into safety. I was also beaten. I was so furious. It was really ugly. I will never forget it,” said Dimitra Theodossiou.” (my bold, S III)

And, lastly, from our old friend The Guardian on 29/12/14:

Christos Perlis said he and another man tried to impose order. “First children, then women and then men,” he said. “But the men, they started hitting us so they could get on first.”

His account was borne out by Dimitra Theodossiou, a Greek soprano who had been on her way to Rimini for a production of Verdi’s opera Nabucco. She said some of the men** had been put below to give precedence to women and children. “But they climbed up and punched and tugged and pulled you out of the way, elbowing their way to safety. It was very ugly. I shall never forget it.”

[**What men could these be then…could it be…could it be? No, of course not; silly me for even thinking such a thing. I mean, would The Guardian of all loyal organs even think of misleading its readers by deliberate omissions or selective quotations? No, of course not. Apologies, S III)

And on 30/12/14:

On Monday evening, Admiral Giovanni Pettorino of the Italian navy said that 80 of those rescued were not on the list of passengers and crew. That would bring the total number of missing to 118. Even assuming that all of the dead are included in the operators’ tally, that leaves 38 people unaccounted for. Two of the 49 rescued passengers who came ashore at Bari on Monday were Afghans trying to reach Italy without authorisation.

And so, dear reader, there we have it, and I now leave you to draw your own conclusions. However, that said, I am delighted to be able to personally conclude that as there were Muslims involved in interesting ways, none of this has anything whatsoever to do with Islam after all, and that is such a relief.

Furthermore I would like to thank The Daily Mail and The Telegraph for giving such prominence to the insightful views of two of the Turkish passengers who obviously were not involved with whomsoever was responsible for the trampling and beating of women and children on the way to the rescue helicopters. I am sure this appropriate positioning of these gentlemen by nationality in the reports will in no way influence the direction or findings of the forthcoming criminal investigation.

Finally, in closing, I would like to profess my undying gratitude to The Guardian — the gift that keeps on giving — for brightening my day yet again by leading me to fully investigate what the charming Diva Dimitra Theodossiou actually said, and to BT, 10News.dk and Nicolai Sennels for their far more honest reporting of the incident which thus prompted this elderly CJ Lone Wolf to ponder “How did that fire really start?” Have a happy and interesting 2015, all of you GoV’ers

— Seneca III, Middle England, 31st December 2014.

For links to previous essays by Seneca III, see the Seneca III Archives.