I’d like to take this opportunity to offer my opinion on the recent attacks carried out by RAAD.

I assume we’re still supposed to believe their lies that they’re acting for the good of the community, yes? Maybe after watching a box set of The Wire, they’ve convinced themselves that they’re drunken maverick cops with an eye for the opposite sex and action hero repartee, rather than the spineless, cowardly, uneducated, violent gangsters they actually are.

As a young person from this city, I’m in agreement with my peers that RAAD are the worst breed of hypocrite imaginable. They will without doubt deny the rumours that their motives are strictly financial, be it through the acquisition of ‘protection money’ or through the elimination of their drug dealing competitors. They will be indignant in their refutation of such accusations, they will carry on lying with sincerity and they will continue to be despised by every intelligent young person in this city.

The very suggestion that these people are supported or revered by the wider community is not only insulting, it’s pathetic.

We know their ilk. They are pitiable men who once fought for a cause, but now that cause has taken a peaceful road, they find themselves without power, without respect and faced with the realisation that they’re nothing more than a bunch of meaningless, inconsequential thugs.

So go ahead gents, lift up your guns and continue to shoot unarmed teenagers and shopkeepers, that’s what heroes do right?

They will no doubt justify their latest attack with further lies that lend it moral legitimacy. Nobody will actually believe this nonsense as we can see past their ethical smokescreen and are aware of just how craven and pathetic these people actually are. Shooting a shopkeeper who is selling products that are perfectly legal is not the actions of those who are trying to rid our society of drugs. They are the actions of mindless idiots seeking personal gain. The game is up lads, but I’ll wager you’re still too cowardly to admit it.

Regardless, no drug, legal or otherwise, is to blame for what’s wrong with our society today. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles here, we shouldn’t test people for chemicals, we should test them for ignorance, stupidity, love of power and greed, essentially all the qualities found in the members of RAAD.

I’m perfectly aware this will anger those simpletons, as I’m basically holding a mirror up to who they really are. However, this needs to be said, as it’s not only my opinion, it’s the opinion of everyone I know. These immoral and idiotic bullies have no support. They’re so pitiable they’d be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous, however I take solace in the knowledge that most intelligent young people in this city will provide whatever information becomes available to them, regarding the identities of these thugs, to the authorities.

Those who deny freedom to others do not deserve it themselves.