Royal Marines 'violent bullying' probed
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  1. #1

    Cool Royal Marines 'violent bullying' probed

    Royal Marines 'violent bullying' probed
    BBC

    A criminal inquiry is being carried out after a film apparently showing a Royal Marine recruit being beaten unconscious was leaked to a newspaper.

    The footage, obtained by the News of the World, appears to show two naked men being forced to fight each other as part of an initiation ceremony.

    One marine then appears to be kicked in the face by a third, allegedly one of his superiors in 42 Commando.

    The Ministry of Defence said bullying in the military would not be tolerated.

    The MoD also said it was "very far from an official training exercise" and that it was trying to establish what lay "behind" the video.

    'Naked fighting'

    The newspaper said the footage had been filmed covertly by another marine at 42 Commando's base at Bickleigh Barracks, near Plymouth in May.

    Twelve new recruits who had just finished their 32-week commando training were alleged to have taken part in the initiation ritual, while around 40 other marines - also stripped naked - watched.

    The fight appears to have been "directed" by two non-commissioned officers. One was dressed in a surgeon's outfit, the other dressed as a schoolgirl.

    The Royal Marines take these allegations extremely seriously and have a zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment
    Ministry of Defence

    The marine who filmed the alleged fight told the newspaper the ritual was more than drunken antics and that the protagonists were forced to fight in a humiliating manner.

    The images show two naked men in the centre of a large group who at first appear to fight with large mats rolled round their arms.

    But then a man dressed in a blue surgeon-style outfit motions for them to use bare fists.

    When one of the recruits complains, the man appears to kick him in the face, allegedly leaving him unconscious on the grass.

    'Taken seriously'

    The MoD has appointed the Royal Military Police to carry out an investigation.

    An MoD spokesman said: "The Royal Marines take these allegations extremely seriously and have a zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment."

    He would not comment on the detail of the allegations because of the ongoing investigation, but added: "Bullying and harassment is not widespread within the Armed Forces.

    "Behaviour of this kind will not be tolerated and every effort is made to apply this policy rigorously."

    Why are they naked for goodness sake?
    Colonel Bob Stewart

    A former Commander of British forces in Bosnia, Colonel Bob Stewart, said the footage shocked him to the core and that it would appal 42 Commando too.

    "It is some form of initiation ceremony. It is clearly booze fuelled.

    "It is clearly some kind of party and it is absolutely wrong and horrific, simply because this is not what our soldiers should be undergoing".

    But if it was some kind of party, the fun ended pretty quickly, he said, adding: "Why are they naked for goodness sake?"

    The Conservative party's spokesman for homeland security Patrick Mercer said he had come across this sort of thing occasionally during his 26 years in the Army.

    Assault investigated

    "I can't tell you how damaging it is," he said.

    "Just imagine a young man turning up in his unit and being made to wrestle naked in a field while his non-commissioned officers are dressed up in women's frillies. I mean, it's not very dignified stuff, is it?"

    But he added that strenuous efforts were being made in the Armed Forces to prevent such things from happening.

    The BBC's defence correspondent Paul Wood said the MoD and superior officers in the elite 42 Commando would be appalled by what was shown on the tape.

    "There is consensus that this kind of thing is wrong and has to be stamped out," he said.

    "The crucial distinction is between simple drunken antics and bullying - something which these men are forced to do."

    He added that although the MoD had not commented about the nature of its investigation, the criminal aspect of it centred on whether the man shown to be knocked unconscious in the video was assaulted.

    Ellie


  2. #2

    Cool

    Britain Probes Royal Marines Hazing Claim
    By ED JOHNSON
    Associated Press Writer
    November 27, 2005, 11:07 AM EST

    LONDON -- Britain's Ministry of Defense said Sunday it was investigating claims of violent bullying in the Royal Marines, after a newspaper obtained video footage of what appears to show recruits being forced to fight each other in a naked initiation ceremony.

    The News of the World newspaper said a soldier secretly filmed the fighting in May at a barracks near Plymouth in southern England. Broadcast on several news channels Sunday, the blurred footage shows naked men fighting in a field, with large rubber mats wrapped around their arms and with bare fists. The newspaper said one recruit was beaten unconscious.

    "The Royal Marines take these allegations extremely seriously and have a zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment," the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that its Special Investigations Board had launched an inquiry. "Bullying and harassment is not widespread within the armed forces. Behavior of this kind will not be tolerated and every effort is made to apply this policy rigorously."

    Bullying in the armed forces is a sensitive issue and has received widespread media coverage since an inquiry into the deaths of four young recruits from gunshot wounds at England's Deepcut army barracks between 1995 and 2002. Earlier this year, a committee of lawmakers urged the military to establish an independent complaints commission to deal with bullying and harassment in the armed forces, and to consider raising the minimum age of recruits from 16 to 18.

    Michael Ancram, defense spokesman for the main opposition Conservative Party, condemned the alleged bullying. "This sort of activity is inexcusable. It brings the army into disrepute, and it should be dealt with severely," he said.

    The Royal Marines, the amphibious infantry of the Royal Navy, are regarded as one of the world's elite fighting forces and played a major role in the military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    According to the News of the World, a marine covertly filmed the video at Bickleigh Barracks, near Plymouth -- the base of the unit 42 Commando. The newspaper said 12 recruits who had just completed their 32-week commando training took part in the initiation ritual, watched by around 40 other marines, also stripped naked.

    In the footage, a man dressed in a blue surgeon's outfit appears to be overseeing the fighting. He appears to kick one of the naked men in the face, leaving him unconscious on the grass. The newspaper identifies the man in the blue suit as a noncommissioned officer.

    Charles Heyman, a senior defense analyst at Jane's Information Group, said 42 Commando was an extremely disciplined, tightly run unit and said he would be surprised if such abuse had taken place.

    He cautioned against accepting the footage at face value, and said it would not be the first time newspapers had been "fed a line" by soldiers. Piers Morgan, the editor of the Daily Mirror, stepped down last year after publishing photographs that purported to show British troops abusing Iraqi detainees. It turned out that the photos had been faked by British soldiers.

    "If this really did happen, then the perpetrators need to be held to account," said Heyman. "We really do need to make sure that the newspaper is not being fed a line. 42 Commando is an organization with the highest standards and if this did happen it would be very surprising."

    On the Net:

    Royal Marines: www.royal-navy.mod.uk/sta...s/141.html

    Ellie


  3. #3

    Cool

    A Body Of Men
    Next Broadsheets
    28 Nov 2005

    WHEN we first saw those grainy images of naked members of the Royal Marines standing in a field fighting with mats rolled around their wrists we were appalled.

    wrists we were appalled.
    Last one to Abu Ghraib's a chicken

    After the shame of non-firing guns and boots that melted in the heat, what hope now for the brave men of 42 Commando Royal Marines forced to take on the enemy with not a stitch of clothing on and armour made from sponge?

    Then we read the reports, as in today’s Times (“Naked fight film sparks calls for new crackdown on bullies”), that the men were not fighting the Iraqis, but each other.

    The Times says the secretly filmed video appears to show an initiation ceremony. Over six pictures, readers get to see the naked men dance around like demented turkeys as they square up for battle.

    Then the soldiers are ordered to remove the mats and use their fists. Things are getting nasty. And worse is yet to come for one marine who is kicked in the head by a non-commissioned officer dressed in a surgeon’s hospital scrubs.

    If this is bullying, as the paper says it might well be, it’s less than surprising to learn that the man knocked out has yet to make a formal complaint.

    The paper even hears that the unnamed victim told his superiors this was part of a “drunken barbecue” and not an initiation ceremony.

    But the Telegraph hears from the marine who shot and leaked the video to the press. Says he: “The guy laid out was inches from being dead. Stuff like this goes on all the time but when drink is involved it gets worse.”

    The whistleblower says that the combatants and 40 other marines were indeed taken to a barbecue, where they were ordered to swallow raw eggs, huge chunks of lard and booze. It was then that the fighting began.

    This is clearly utterly hilarious stiff, the kind of thing that binds not only the soldiers’ insides but unites them together as a fighting unit. What better way to raise morale than by kicking one of our own in the head?

    But even so, some killjoys in the Royal Military Police have launched an investigation into this alleged violent bullying, which, it seems, took place at a barracks at Bickleigh, near Plymouth, in May this year.

    We look forward to the outcome. And wonder how our boys put into practice such training when out in the field of combat...

    Ellie


  4. #4
    'Naked' marine denies bully claim
    A Royal Marine shown in footage leaked to a newspaper lying naked and unconscious during an initiation ritual has denied he was bullied.

    Ray Simmons, 23, told the Daily Mirror newspaper the colleague who hit him was a "good mate", saying "it was just a game that went too far."

    The footage, handed to the News of World, sparked widespread condemnation.

    A criminal inquiry is being carried out into the incident at 42 Commando's Bickleigh Barracks near Plymouth.

    The footage showed two naked men fighting during an alcohol-fuelled "new joiners'" party - one of them Mr Simmons.

    Mr Simmons, of Letchworth in Hertfordshire, then appeared to be kicked in the face by a third marine.

    "The bloke who kicked me in the head is one of the nicest guys in the company," he said.

    "He's going through hell for one mistake, but we all make mistakes and I don't hold a grudge.

    "It's been claimed I was the victim of ritual abuse, but that's untrue ... It's just marine humour."

    'Not tolerated

    The Ministry of Defence has said bullying in the military would not be tolerated.

    It also said it was "very far from an official training exercise" and that it was trying to establish what lay "behind" the video.

    A former Commander of British forces in Bosnia, Colonel Bob Stewart, said the footage shocked him to the core .

    I love being in the Marines. I wouldn't change my company for the world
    Ray Simmons

    The News of the World newspaper said the footage had been filmed covertly by another marine at 42 Commando's base at Bickleigh Barracks in May.

    Twelve soldiers who had just finished their 32-week commando training were alleged to have taken part in the initiation ritual, while around 40 other marines - also stripped naked - watched.

    The marine who filmed the alleged fight told the newspaper the ritual was more than drunken antics and that the protagonists were forced to fight in a humiliating manner.

    But Mr Simmons said: "This has been blown up out of all proportion. I was appalled that the image of the marines was being tarnished unfairly.

    "I love being in the marines. I wouldn't change my company for the world."

    Ellie


  5. #5
    Marine Free Member Derek Blevins's Avatar
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    EXCLUSIVE: I WAS THAT ROOKIE KO'D BY MARINES
    By Richard Smith
    THE Marine kicked unconscious in a naked initiation scrap said yesterday he was NOT bullied and the man who floored him was a "good mate".
    Hard man Ray Simmons, 23, said: "The bloke who kicked me in the head is one of the nicest guys in the company. He's going through hell for one mistake but we all make mistakes and I don't hold a grudge.
    "It's been claimed I was the victim of ritual abuse but that's untrue. I was p****d. Nobody forced me to do anything. The idea was to go naked and make a prat of yourself. It was just a game that went too far.
    "People will think loads of men getting naked is a bit gay but we don't care what others think. It's just Marine humour."
    Ray's live-in lover Sarah Fitchford, 22, added: "At first I was shocked but I know it wasn't a malicious act. It was high jinks. Boys will be boys."
    Outrage erupted after video footage showed Ray being booted senseless to the ground in a naked fight at a "new joiners' party" at 42 Commando's Bickleigh Barracks in Plymouth in May.
    It was claimed he may have been forced into the scrap against his will. The MoD launched a criminal investigation, saying: "Behaviour like this will not be tolerated."
    Colonel Bob Stewart, who commanded British forces in Bosnia, said: "This is wrong and horrific." Shadow defence secretary Michael Ancram said: "This is inexcusable."
    But commando Ray - awarded the regiment's coveted green beret a year ago after 32 weeks of gruelling training - rubbished suggestions he was a victim.
    Speaking exclusively to the Mirror to set the record straight, he explained: "A notice was put up saying a new joiners' party would take place outside the barracks at 6pm.
    "We were each told to get a crate of beer and some 'silly rig' - Marine speak for fancy dress. I got a Superman outfit and bought a crate of 24 cans of lager.
    "The whole company was in rig, not just the new lads. There were about 50 of us, including 10 joiners. Nobody refused to take part, nobody was bothered. It was a chance to take the mickey out of your mates.
    "New lads had to stand in front of the troop and drink beer while giving a two-minute talk about why they joined the troop.
    "Then the games started. The joiners took off their fancy dress and started naked wheelbarrow races while drinking vodka, wine, Scrumpy Jack cider and lager." As the men chucked down the drinks another company's joining party arrived - also naked and with roll mats on their arms.
    Ray said: "We started to 'bout' each other, one from each company.
    "By this time everyone, including myself, was quite p****d. Because of all the rushing about, games and the booze I can't recall exactly what happened.
    "Mates told me my bout started normally. Then we took off our mats, got on our knees and started wrestling on the ground.
    "We were trying to pin each other down and that's when things started going wrong.
    "Either I said something or someone else said something and this NCO in his late 20s came up to sort things out.
    "I must have said something to him that set him off. He went out of control and kicked me in the head. I was knocked out and on the ground for about 30 seconds.
    "Everything stopped. It put a dampener on things. When I came round I was washed down in the showers. I was very drunk. God knows how much I'd had - maybe four or five cans of lager and five or six shots.
    "I had a cut tongue either from the kick in the mouth or while I was falling.
    "Some of the lads were allowed into town that night. I wanted to join them, got cleaned up and put on jeans and a T-shirt. But the NCOs wouldn't let me go because I was too p****d.That night the man who kicked me came up while I was having a shower and said 'Sorry, I shouldn't have done that'.He was pretty gutted and regretted what had happened."
    When news of the initiation rite broke last week, and video footage of the incident appeared on TV and in the press, Ray and his colleagues were taking part in an exercise on Salisbury Plain.
    Rugby-playing Ray, 5ft 10in and 12st, said: "The NCO who kicked me was heartbroken. He said 'Oh my God, that's me finished'. I speak to this bloke all the time and we're good mates.
    "Special Investigations Branch asked me if I wanted to press charges. I said if it was up to me I'd drop the whole thing. In the two and a half years I've been in the Marines I haven't witnessed any bullying. It's all friendly banter.
    "We're a tight-knit community. You're constantly taking the p**s out of each other. But you know that if your life is at stake another Marine will be there for you.
    "I love being in the Marines. I wouldn't change my company for the world. We're a band of brothers who stick by each other 100 per cent. I'd trust them to lay down their life for me if necessary."
    Ray, from Letchworth, Herts, joined the Marines in May 2003 after leaving school with three A-levels. He begins a tour of duty in Iraq next October.
    Now he fears publicity about his fight will affect his career. He said: "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. Officers and Marines have been very supportive.
    "I was getting calls from my parents, brother and sister who thought I was getting bullied. They thought there was a big cover-up going on until I reassured them.
    "This has been blown up out of all proportion. I was appalled that the image of the Marines was being tarnished unfairly. I decided to speak out in the Mirror because I want to set the record straight."
    Girlfriend Sarah said: "It was shocking seeing the fight in the paper and on TV. I must have watched it about eight times. It made me feel sick.
    "Ray's tongue was mashed and swollen and he couldn't talk for days. But it wasn't bullying. It was their way of letting off steam and having fun. But I admit that for a civilian it's hard to understand." The MoD said: "The investigation is continuing."


  6. #6
    Marine Free Member oldanglico's Avatar
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    That just about sums it all up Derek. The matter as far as we are aware is now closed. Yet another notch on the belt of the Press. What would we do without them !!!!!


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