LSE students union on Panorama: "BBC used LSE students as a human shield"

Would love to hear people's comments about the programme later, I am interested to know if there's an "it was worth it" reaction, or if it's all been a bit of a waste of time running what was effectively a minor con on these students by Sweeney and his wife.

Watching the programme on iplayer, the show supports the fact that extreme left and extreme right are indeed very similar, the pictures of Marx and Lenin, and the liking to Hitler, it shows that that socialism and fascism are essentially similar

Watching the programme on iplayer, the show supports the fact that extreme left and extreme right are indeed very similar, the pictures of Marx and Lenin, and the liking to Hitler, it shows that that socialism and fascism are essentially similar

Since it was mentioned that anyone who speaks out may be sent to a political prisoner camp and the BBC cameraman was told numerous times to stop filming I do think there was danger to the students.
To be honest what the BBC did wasn't brilliant and nothing particularly new was even discovered; what's already known was confirmed.

It's a shame he didn't talk about it more, but it was particularly relevant that the portraits of Lenin and Marx had been taken down from buildings, presumably this was part of the alleged slight movement towards capitalism, as with the Chinese bank under construction, although it's difficult to see how they can even start the beginnings of a capitalist system with all the markets closed and everyone working goodness-knows-where. Where does everyone work? Empty hospitals, empty factories.

No, they show that Kim admired parts of the Nazi 'way of doing things' and since he was no more a 'socialist' than was Margaret Thatcher, you can't draw that conclusion. Just because people call themselves something, doesn't make them that thing. Stop smearing genuine democratic leftism by drawing false analogies.

It's a shame he didn't talk about it more, but it was particularly relevant that the portraits of Lenin and Marx had been taken down from buildings, presumably this was part of the alleged slight movement towards capitalism, as with the Chinese bank under construction, although it's difficult to see how they can even start the beginnings of a capitalist system with all the markets closed and everyone working goodness-knows-where. Where does everyone work? Empty hospitals, empty factories.

The bit where they told him to stop filming simply confirmed that they regard filming as OK some of the time, so that on its own doesn't prove they endangered the students.

I can't see them kidnapping a bus load of LSE students, but then I suppose given how sinister their regime is, anything is possible.

I can't see them kidnapping a bus load of LSE students, but then I suppose given how sinister their regime is, anything is possible.

I don't think it's a move towards capitalism; they replaced mentions of Marxism in their constitution with their new ultra-nationalist ideology of Juche a few years back, and I think it's just an attempt to cement the Kim family as the pioneers of the NK way of life, and possibly a repudiation of the internationalist tendencies of Marx.

They were perfectly safe at all times. North Korea is one of the safest places on earth to visit as a tourist since they can't risk any harm coming to tourists. All this fuss from the students is OTT to be honest.

From what we've heard so far, I can't help but wonder if the story was that a parent with influence got hold of it, kicked up a stink, etc - the university felt they had to respond strongly so as to defend their legal position.

Maybe. I wondered if it was some kind of response to pressure from China, maybe the idea in Beijing is to one day turn them into another Vietnam with relocated Chinese factories, etc. If so, the Chinese have got their work cut out, lol.

It seems like that was more likely. It's not as if these students were being held at gunpoint and marched to a concentration camp, they were on an organised tour that went without a hitch. Plus it's not like this documentary showed anything new or interesting. The Vice documentary on YouTube shows a hell of a lot more of the real DPRK than the BBC did. It was all hype and no substance.

They were perfectly safe at all times. North Korea is one of the safest places on earth to visit as a tourist since they can't risk any harm coming to tourists. All this fuss from the students is OTT to be honest.