A single Racist Stone Ruined Noel Martin’s Life.The attack that occurred on June 16, 1996 in Mahlow,a town in the former East German state of Brandenburg is one of the greatest acts of man’s inhumanity to man.The event extinguished the ambition,aspiration,name it,of Noel martin the dark-skinned, Jamaican-born Briton- Noel Martin who was at the time, working in a construction company in East Germany. His life in a split second nose-dived from the pinnacle to the abyss. His life would never be the same again. A stone thrown by one of the young Nazis crashed through the windshield of his car and Martin''''''''s car veered off the road. The last and only thing he remembered was seeing a tree careening towards him and jerking the steering wheel. And then, a thud. Darkness. When Martin woke up, he was lying on his back. He has been paralyzed for life. It was Mark Twain who said- "I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can''''''''t be any worse."
Two young Germans, Sandro R. and Mario P. were responsible for throwing a lump of concrete at Martin''''''''s car. They were 17 and 24 years old then. The motive for their action was "explicit xenophobia," as was later determined by a court. They were sentenced to five and eight years in prison. Noel Martin never got an apology, but by now he doesn''''''''t care any more. He noted that "It would be a waste of time. God will take care of them; life will take care of them." Both of his attackers are now free. But Martin is still imprisoned –- in his own body.
Fate can be harsh sometimes on some people. Jacqueline, his strong-willed wife, used to take care of him. However, six years ago she died of cancer. Two days before she passed away, they married at Jacqueline’s sickbed -- after having lived together for 18 years.
When the news broke out that Noel martin was seeking assisted death to take his own life in less than a year, it was not a surprise. But reason prevailed and he gave up the idea. He plans to fight right-wing extremists to the very end and in a positive way.
The sordid picture of such man’s inhumanity to man is painted in his residence in Birmingham. According to him the attack left him paralyzed from the neck down. “I am not a part of life,” he says, “I just exist.” Before he had his operation last year he was able to sit down at home in Birmingham, in his giant wheelchair, his head was held with a special fixture so that he does not fall down. But for some months now he has only been confined. “Everything has to be figured out by your head. It’s torture, mental torture,” he sighs. Martin will never be able to move his arms or legs again and he’ll never be able to feel what his fingertips touch. Nor will he ever feel his own heartbeat. There is no privacy in my world. All my emotions are played out in public. Any pain, any tears, are witnessed by an ever-changing cast of cares. I am washed and dressed by others. Helped to the lavatory by strangers. Privacy is something that exists only inside my head.
The fall out of the attack was a rise to an unprecedented proportion on the campaign against xenophobia. Citizens in Mahlow spontaneously started up a local project called “Tolerant Mahlow.” Martin returned to the city in 2001 and he called on its citizens to continue to stand up for the rights of others. He also established a charitable foundation against xenophobia. Part of his message is that- “The government should make sure everyone can go wherever they want and be safe.” Martin intoned “Of the 6 billion people in the world, 5 billion are people of colour. Sooner or later they’ll all mix.” He grins. “Who knows? Maybe the children of these Nazis will marry a black man or a black woman one day?” He likes the idea. The Nazis are running out of time with or without Noel Martin.
The fight against racism is an immediate and urgent challenge to the world all over. Humans are not isolated, atemporal, static beings who conform to these labels and stereotypes. Humans are social beings, who exist in human relationships.
Stereotyping of human beings is a phenomenon that has been widely noticed in multicultural societies, which result in enkindling the flames of prejudices, racism. The existence of negative stereotyping has impinged horrible socio-economic, political and cultural chaos around the world. Negative stereotyping and its obvious consequences have forced many groups of people to the margins of society under dire psychological dysfunctions.
INTERVIEW:
The incident that paralyzed Noel Martin has been told and retold over these years. The Voice ran into a German woman-Regina Andresen who resides in The Netherlands. She was so touched by the story and condition of Noel Martin and the incident surrounding his accident that she on November 2008 embarked on a fact-finding tour to Birmingham, to see things for herself and hear from the horses’ mouth. You would recall Angela Merkel –German Chancellor’s remark during her visit to Israel last year-“Holocaust fills us Germans with shame….I bow before the victims etc”. But in this case Regina went just as a concerned person and one who is averse to acts of prejudice, discrimination and racism as motive for such hideous acts. In these excerpts she recounted her experience with Noel Martin in his residence amidst suppressed tears.
The Voice: What was your motive to visit Noel Martin in his house in Birmingham on 19th November 2008?
Regina: I had my first contact with Noel about two years ago after I had seen him in the German TV program –“People with Maischberger”. My heart went out for him and since then I have been in regular telephone contact with him. During our telephone discussion at the beginning of November, we talked about a visit to Birmingham and he agreed to an appointment with me.
The Voice: How was your first meeting with Noel Martin like?
Regina: I saw the pictures of Noel on various Internet sites and television programs, but that was not enough preparation for the miserable and shocking encounter that awaited me on arrival in his house in Birmingham. On entering his room, I was gripped with hysteria on seeing him lying on his sickbed, the free upper part of the body (the only active portion), his lifeless outstretched arms and on his head, his two eyes were directed upon me. I exclaimed -“Noel, I cannot believe it at all!” I paused a moment before approaching his bed for a gesture of welcome. Even though he told me he feels no more touch, I still made a greeting gesture. With his lifeless arm beside me, I had to control myself, in order to withstand all emotional invocations and the anger revolving on the cause and what he has gone through and still going through. Later, I was alone –and let loose, suppressed feelings which to date occupies me very much.
The Voice: Around which issues did your discussion with him revolve?
Regina: We had spoken about anything and everything in the few hours I spent there. However, the core issue was that we agreed we were all human beings. The terminologies of black and white as the Germans call it “Schwarz and weiss” skin colour are sheer chromatics. But he responded to me that the “Black” man needs no explanation of the meaning of racism as he is confronted with it on a daily basis and in different forms. He said that he would like to find out from the Neo-Nazis the “reasons” why they became racists. He would like to know why he faces strangers’ hostility and their justifications for it. “A convincing argument from the nazis would persuade me to jointly start a campaign like “all foreigners out”, etc.” he said. On his own part, he could table one thousand reasons why he could be a racist. Since his birth, his skin colour has made him attract such odd words as “nigger, bastard, monkey,” etc. Still those did not make him a racist. Does the white ever conceive a situation the world turns round and whiteness becomes a cliché?
The Voice: What was Noel like prior to the accident?
Regina: Noel was very hard-working and enterprising man before the incident as contained in his book- “Call it My Life”. He knows what hard work and independence means. But now he is unable to do anything unaided anymore. The two phases of his life are irreconcilable. He noted that there were people born with similar impairments and impediments. While some others become paralyzed through sickness or accidents of some sort, and are grappling with the difficulties like me. He said that if he was paralyzed through any of those acts of nature; his plight would have been easy for him to come to terms with. He added that he does not need a psychologist to explain to his impediment to him because he is quite conscious of the fact that his ordeal was a racist-motivated act in its entirety. He said he is grateful that he is still alive and hope to contribute as far as he is able to effect a change in the minds of people of the need to promote peaceful co-existence of multicultural societies around the world.
The Voice: Are there ways you think assistance could be given to Noel Martin’s cause and concern?
Regina: Through Noel’s initiative, an orphanage has been built in Potsdam. Also an endowment fund- Noel and Jacqueline Martin’s endowment which promotes lectures, seminars and activities for inter-cultural and anti-racists youth works and programmes. You can access www.noel-martin.de to see how you can be of assistance.
The Voice: Has Noel made any other wish apart from fighting for multi-culturalism?
Regina: His miserable vegetative mood robs one of requests. He can move only his head. He is nursed and fed like a child, even a cigarette has to be put on and out of his lip, including his hygienic and therapeutic chores. As a jockey fan, he jokingly made a request of four wild horses. I had told him our meeting would be published for public consumption and when last I phoned him he said to me that “Time is the master.” I therefore see this interview as positive move of my visit to Noel.
The Voice: Would you maintain your contact with Noel Martin?
Regina: The strong-will and transparent determination in the eyes of Noel makes him so special to me that the discontinuation of contact with him is out of my thought. He grants peoples series of interviews from his bed because he knows that it is only through people that he can reach out to people. During my six hours of visit to him, I felt moved and encouraged to work with him and other concerned people to project and realize his aims. I have therefore resolved that this would not be my last visit. I promise also to keep in touch with your magazine-The Voice, as soon as I make another visit.
The Voice: Thank you Regina for the opportunity to share this touching experience with us and we pray God to guide you in such humanitarian gestures.
Regina: Thank you also for the opportunity to air my story. in support of Noel’s cause
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7731904.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_5110000/newsid_5118700/5118752.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=14&ms_javascript=true&bbcws=2
Menschlichkeit e. V.
- humanity -
Contact:Regina Andresen
0031(0)6 20 46 7799
: humanityfirst@hotmail.com
Birmingham UK - NOEL NEED US
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