Holidays come with context!  They bring messages of stories that transcend tight religious or national confines.  This is why despite Christmas being a Christian celebration it has universal messages about peace on earth, hope and love to all.  Similar messages are shared at different celebrations from other religions which contain similar ecumenical meanings. 

The first official Christmas took place on 336 AD when the first Christian Emperor declared an official celebration.  At first, a rather small occasion but it soon became the festival of the winter which spread across the Roman empire.  All through the centuries more and more customs were added to the celebration and as Europeans “carried” the holiday to other continents it became increasingly an international celebration.  Of course, joy and happiness weren’t the only things that brought people together.  As this is a Christmas message from a criminological perspective don’t expect it to be too cuddly! 

As early as 390 AD, Christmas in Milan was marked with the act of public “repentance” from Emperor Theodosius, after the massacre of Thessalonica.  When the emperor got mad they slaughtered the local population, in an act that caused even the repulson of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan to ban him from church until he repented!  Considering the volume of people murdered this probably counts as one of those lighter sentences; but for people in power sentences tend to be light regardless of the historical context. 

One of those Christmas celebrations that stand out through time, as a symbol of truce, was the 1914 Christmas in the midst of the Great War.  The story of how the opposing troops exchanged Christmas messages, songs in some part of the trenches resonated, but has never been repeated.  Ironically neither of the High Commands of the opposing sides liked the idea.  Perhaps they became concerned that it would become more difficult to kill someone that you have humanised hours before.  For example, a similar truce was not observed in World War 2 and in subsequent conflicts, High Commands tend to limit operations on the day, providing some additional access to messages from home, some light entertainment some festive meals, to remind people that there is life beyond war. 

A different kind of Christmas was celebrated in Italy in the mid-80s.  The Christmas massacre of 1984 Strage Di Natale dominated the news. It was a terrorist attack by the mafia against the judiciary who had tried to purge the organisation.  Their response was brutal and a clear indication that they remained defiant.  It will take decades before the organisation’s influence diminishes but, on that date, with the death of people they also achieved worldwide condemnation.

A decade later in the 90s there was the Christmas massacre or Masacre de Navidad in Bolivia.  On this occasion the government troops decided to murder miners in a rural community, as the mine was sold off to foreign investors, who needed their investment protected.  The community continue to carry the marks of these events, whilst the investors simply sold and moved on to their next profitable venture. 

In 2008 there was the Christmas massacre in the Democratic Republic of Congo when the Lord’s Resistance Army entered Haut-Uele District.  The exact number of those murdered remains unknown and it adds misery to this already beleaguered country with such a long history of suffering, including colonial ethnic cleansing and genocide.  This country, like many countries in the world, are relegated into the small columns on the news and are mostly neglected by the international community. 

So, why on a festive day that commemorates love, peace and goodwill does one talk about death and destruction? It is because of all those heartfelt notions that we need to look at what really happens.  What is the point of saying peace on earth, when Gaza is levelled to the ground? Why offer season’s wishes when troops on either side of the Dnipro River are still fighting a war with no end?  How hypocritical is it to say Merry Christmas to those who flee Nagorno Karabakh?  What is the point of talking about love when children living in Yemen may never get to feel it?  Why go to the trouble of setting up a festive dinner when people in Ethiopia experience famine yet again? 

We say words that commemorate a festive season, but do we really mean them?  If we did, a call for international truce, protection of the non-combatants, medical attention to the injured and the infirm should be the top priority.  The advancement of civilization is not measured by smart phones, talking doorbells and clever televisions.  It is measured by the ability of the international community to take a stand and rehabilitate humanity, thus putting people over profit.  Sending a message for peace not as a wish but as an urgent action is our outmost priority. 

The Criminology Team, wishes all of you personal and international peace!