Plymouth, U.K.
A videotape showing drunken, naked Royal Marine recruits being forced to fight one another on their knees in the mud sparked a military police investigation in Britain this week. The tape was leaked to the press by an appalled Marine who said that one of the young men was beaten unconscious by a superior officer. Publicly, British officers have reacted with outrage. “This is nothing to do with training,” said Col. Bob Stewart, who commanded British forces in Bosnia. “Why are they naked, for goodness’ sake?” But privately, reports the London Guardian, some officers are dismissing the incident as “just a bit of fun.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
How the woke right gained power in the USUnder the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
