I came across this quote and it is an amazing example of the thoughtlessness and banality of violence. Which reminds me I keep meaning to read Hannah Arendt.

“It was a horrible duty to perform. But I think it was a merciful thing. I thought I should shoot well and shoot straight so that I or anybody else would not have had to shoot again. I think it quite possible that I could have dispersed the crowd without firing but they would have come back again and laughed, and I would have made, what I consider, a fool of myself.”

The words of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer the perpetrator of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (Amritsar massacre) of 1919 where he ordered his troops to fire on an unarmed crowd gathered in peaceful political protest. The attack took place at close range and in a confined space. It left 379 dead and 1,500 injured. General Dyer said his action was meant to punish the people if they disobeyed his orders. He thought from a military point of view, such an action would create a good impression in Punjab.

While his acts and his attitude can be dismissed as being a result and perpetration of colonialism his words are interesting in that he is an example of how someone manages to divide his feelings. Firing upon an unarmed crowd was, according to Dyer, a horrible duty. Duty must be performed well. Killing everyone was therefore merciful. In addition to this his authority would have been lost if he had chosen a non-violent approach and he would look the fool.

When questioned if he had taken any steps to attend to the wounded after the firing he replied: “Certainly not. It was not my job. Hospitals were open and they could have gone there.”