A few thoughts on Mr. Ronald Biggs - Robber and citizen of Rio de Janeiro
I was browsing Ebay this week and ran across a book called Biggs, the most wanted criminal or something like that. Anyway, without reading it and never having encountered the man, I can safely advise anybody wanting to know more about Mr. Ronald Biggs: Don't bother! I may get a few details wrong, since it has been 20 years, but this is what little I know about Mr. Biggs...
For those happy people who are unaware of Biggs existence, he was part of the gang that staged the "Great Train Robbery" in England in the 1960's. He got away and fled to Brazil, where because of certain aspects of Brazil's extradition law he was safe from arrest. He married (?) some Brazilian cabaret dancer (who worked in Switzerland?) and had a son born in Brazil. Under Brazilian legal code extradition laws do not apply to foreigners who have Brazilian children.
In the 10 plus years I lived in Rio Biggs was around, always trying to get his name in the papers. Every time a British warship came to Guanabara Bay he would go take the public tour that most foreign navy ships offered. Then, of course, he would call the media and proclaim how daring he was since the Brits could have arrested him onboard and taken him back to London for trial. Later, he had a restaurant up in Santa Teresa, which I never visited. I remember somebody telling me not to bother because the food wasn't worth the cost of the bonde (streetcar) ride up the hill.
The reason for this essay on Biggs is a letter from England in the mid 1980's. I remember it clearly, and I wish I had saved a copy of it. It was published in the Jornal do Brasil, and it was written by the daughter of a brakeman on the train that was robbed. Biggs was always bragging about how smart he was ("the man that got away") and how the crime was committed without violence. Anyway this woman said that she had heard that Biggs enjoyed something of a celebrity status in Rio, and she wanted everybody to know that Biggs and/or his buddies had savagely beaten her father during the robbery, so much that he was disabled for life. So Biggs is just a petty, self-promoting thug that cares only about himself. That is the true legacy of Ronald Biggs.
Recently I heard that Biggs has given himself up, going to the UK Consulate in Rio and asking to be returned to Merry Old England. Repentance? The fact is that the old man is/was sick and wanted to go back to England for medical care, at the taxpayer's expense, of course.
The good news is that the boy (Miguel? Michael?) seems to be doing fine. I vaguely remember him as a member of a kiddie musical group (Balao Magico). About 1 or 2 years ago I saw him on TV Globo and he appeared to be a nice, intelligent and very articulate young man. My best wishes to him.
A Letter about Biggs
I get quite a few letters, and over the years maybe two or three of them were about Biggs, including one asking if I could help him find Biggs. Then a certain Cristopher B. from Australia sent me the following letter in November 2004:
Dear whoever the hell you are,
You have provided me with the ideal opportunity to point out to you what is most wrong with the world today... sanctimonious, ill-informed, arrogant and ultimately stupid Americans! I have read some clap-trap in my time but your pitiful 'essay' (what a joke) on Ronald Biggs really takes the cake. I can see you now reclining back in your cheap 'n' nasty office chair (that you probably stole from your former employer) lording it over any imbecile that is willing to listen (or just too polite to tell you how thick middle America is) with 'pig-ignorant' observations of the ethno culture of Brazil.
Your account of Brazil (as much as I could stand to read without throwing up) exudes that lack of sensitivity and cultural insight that one would expect from the bastard race that invades and decimates every country and culture that stands between it and the almighty dollar. Where the hell were you when Rwandan's were dying in there hundreds of thousands? Wasn't it the American's (via the CIA) who were responsible for the murder of Chile's president Aliende? Or for funding the Nicaraguan rebels? Or for training Bin Laden? Whilst all this was going on, no doubt you were down at the mall shoving excessive amounts of greasy food into you already bloated and obese body. Food that was paid for with the blood and tears of the Brazilian farmers who decimate thousands of hectares of rainforest each week to keep your greedy, excessive and exploitative American lifestyle going. Ahhh! The bloody irony of your website would be funny if America did not really represent Satan here on earth. And yet you bloody American idiots think that your 'evangelical' outlook makes up for all the evils that you each contribute toward and inflict on the world on a daily basis. There is no difference between the evangelical zealots in America and the Islamic fundamentalists in the Middle East (except that the power of the US$ has
allowed the American machine to exploit the world's resources and people for too long!)
Your observations of Ronald Biggs are clearly from a distance and you have no place or public right to express such limited and narrow minded views on the internet. Not only did Ronald Biggs never own a restaurant in Santa Teresa, he only ever boarded a British Navel vessel on one occasion and that was to collect a Christmas ham that was given to him as a gift by the crew. Get your facts right mate!
As for the daughter of the brakeman who received a blow during the robbery, unless you are referring to Jack Mills (who was the driver and not the a brakeman) you have completely screwed up the story! Jack Mills made a 100% recovery from the mild concussion that he received and died some 20 years later of chest cancer (I guess your going to draw a link between the two incidents and distort the truth even further?). I do not for one second condone or support the robbery or any of the actions taken by the thieves during it, but I simply cannot sit back and have yet another ignorant, self opinionated, unworldly, insensitive and stupid American make inaccurate and ill-informed statements of purported fact in a public forum.
You need to take a really good look at yourself and the cesspool of a culture in which you reside. Rather than taking the time to take the moral high ground on issues of which you obviously know nothing, I suggest that you use what little energy you McLifestyle affords you and focus on the issues in your immediate community. God know the US of A could do with the help. I think the much hackneyed expression of "GET A LIFE" is quite appropriate in this instance.
Yes I get critical letters, but rarely ones so, so, ah direct. To get mad at me is OK, but I don't understand why all the anger relating to my off-the-cuff thoughts about a two bit robber like Ronald Biggs? Very strange! Anyway, I did write him back as follows:
Chistopher,
Wow. I never met the guy, but I think most of what I said is about right. Biggs was/is a self promoting, loud mouth, and not-so-nice guy - a real fdp, as they say in Brasil. I lived in Rio for 12 years as part of the Brazilian community, not as a gringo, so I think I have the general story right, if not all the details. I try to be honest, and I think my site is as honest about Brazil (the good things as well as the bad) as any site on the Internet.
Biggs did have a restaurant up in Santa Teresa (I don't know if he actually owned it), he did board British ships and then call reporters and there was a very sad letter in the "Jornal do Brasil" from a lady in England about what Biggs and company did to her father. It was that letter that made me change my opinion of Biggs from "so what, who cares" to "bad guy, piece of crap". I remember those things perfectly well. The guy is not worth your time or mine. He is certainly not worth the vile in your letter.
As to the Americans and their sins, well, they have plenty to answer for, but that is not the object of my site. All I try to do is give an honest portrayal of Brazil and the Brazilians. If you want sensitivity and political correctness, don't count on me. As far as I'm concerned, Brazilians are the nicest people on earth. Yes, Brazil has problems, but Brazilians face them one day at a time, and life goes on. Maybe one day things will get better, who knows. Quem sabe.
Please tell me your connection with Brazil. I assume you have been to Brazil. How long were you there? Where? Australia is a long way from Copacabana. Also I am curious about your feelings about Brazil and the Brazilians - past and present.
That's it. G'day. John
Obviously Old Chris does not know me. No malls here! No McFrys, either, and I am not over-weight. He obviously knows more about Biggs than I do, or than I ever wanted to. Anyway, it has been 2 weeks and I haven't received a reply from Downunderland. I also sent an email to Jornal do Brazil about the letter, but no reply from them either.
Just to make sure that I got the story right, a quick check on the Internet (at http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Train_Robbery_of_1963) gives me the following quote: "Although no guns were used in the robbery, some members of the gang struck the train driver, Jack Mills, on the head with iron bars. Mills never fully recovered from the attack and never returned to work. He died in 1970." So much for the "full recovery" and it was a very short "20 years". Like I said, in the 10 plus years that I lived in Rio, Biggs was always around, being "kipnapped", or meeting brain-dead celebrities, or being thrown out of his flat, living off his fame at the expense of others ($20 for a cheap Biggs-signed T-shirt or $50 for a bad meal with the great man himself, etc...). He was in the papers maybe once or twice a year, but never for anything worthy. As far as I know, Biggs had no friends, only victims. The Internet tells me that in 2001 Biggs went back to England on a private jet -- paid for by a British scandal sheet newspaper -- which probably had to give Biggs a cut, too. I doubt there was anybody weeping at Galeao airport to see him off. I also am sure the folks at Scotland Yard weren't too happy to see Mr Biggs back in England. They didn't want him either. As far as I know, as of 2004 the guy is still alive. I stand by my opinion of Ronnie Biggs - he is scum.
Oh yes, I almost forgot.... there is a film about Biggs called Prisoner of Rio. As expected, it is a bad film and the title is as crooked as Biggs himself. May I quote a movie critic at www.timeout.com: The fact that Ronnie Biggs co-wrote this fiasco (filmed in English) may explain the portrait of the Great Train Robber as a sharp-witted charmer, his sole real concern in life his son. The story recounts the less-than-legal efforts of cop Berkoff (macho, variable accent) to bring Biggs (Freeman, larger-than-life Londoner) back to Blighty and prison. The intrigue is messily and murkily conceived, involving undercover agents, swarthy thugs, shady fixers, and much predictable ado about Carnival. (The director) renders entire scenes devoid of dramatic point or meaning by the sort of editing that makes you wonder what's happening, why, and where; the pacing is listless, the camera invariably wrongly placed, the whole stitched with leering shots of skimpily clad revellers and travelogue padding.
The cast includes well-known Brazilian artists like Jose Wilker and Zeze Motta, as well as Florinda Bolkan (a semi-famous Brazilian actress from Europe) and music by Luiz Bonfa. Why these people would associate themselves with a sujeitinho de merda like Biggs is beyond me.
Brazilians React to Biggs Departure....
So Biggs leaves the country, and immediately Brazilians high and low jump in and use his departure as a lesson in social critique, with a little bit of humor thrown in. This is so very typical of everyday discourse that I just had to include some comments by Brazilians from the Internet, as follows:
(1) Ronald Biggs, um dos ladrões mais famosos do mundo, está voltando para a Inglaterra. Disse que prefere morrer no seu país de origem. A polícia inglesa já avisou que, assim que ele ponha os pés em solo britânico, será preso. Vamos fazer um exercício de lógica? Quem perde com isto tudo? Nós perdemos. Duas vezes. A primeira vez quando este ladrão veio refugiar-se aqui. O Brasil sempre teve fama de paraíso de ladrões, mesmo. Fico surpreso que ele não tenha imediatamente desejado ficar em Brasília, com seus pares. Comentários à parte, foi um golpe na imagem internacional de nosso país. E o Brasil perdeu uma segunda vez agora; quando até mesmo um ladrão de trens como Biggs prefere morrer em uma prisão inglesa, do que viver solto entre nós.
[translation] Ronald Biggs, one of the most famous thieves of the world, is returning to England. He said that he prefers to die in his native country. The English police has already warned that, when he puts his feet on British soil, he will be jailed. Let's do an logic exercise? Who loses with all this? We lose. Twice. The first time when this thief came to take refuge here. Brazil always had fame of a paradise for thieves, exactly. I am surpresed that he did not immediately want to be in Brasilia, with his own kind. Commentaries to the contrary, it was a blow to the international image of our country. And Brazil lost a second time now; when even a train robber like Biggs prefers to die in an English prison, to living free among us. Comment by Fábio Marchioro at http://www.pensagens.com/arquivo/000083.html
(2) Biggs estava certo. Não é de hoje que admiro a esperteza de Ronald Biggs. Tudo que ele fez na vida — honesta ou desonestamente — o fez maravilhosamente. Afinal, estamos diante de um assaltante de 50 milhões de dólares. E mais: o homem é inglês. E agora, aos 71 anos, doente e encarcerado em uma cadeira de rodas, chegou à brilhantíssima idéia de que é mais fácil (seguro, tranqüilo e civilizado) passar o resto da sua vida numa prisão inglesa do que solto nas ruas do Rio de Janeiro... Admiro a saída de cena de Mr. Biggs. Aos 71 anos, sentiu na própria carne que isto aqui não é um país sério para idosos. Preferiu a cerveja inglesa, o chato fog, um cheio de horários pub. A modorrenta BBC. A voltar a torcer pelo Chelsea. Uma pena meu pai — que morreu há 20 dias — não ter assaltado um banco na Inglaterra anos trás. Seus últimos anos de vida teriam sido bem mais interessantes.
[translation] Biggs was right. It is not from today that I admire the smartness of Ronald Biggs. Everything that he did in life -- honest or dishonestly -- he did it wonderfully. After all, we are talking about a 50 million dollar thief. And there is more: the man is English. And now, at the age of 71 years, sick and confined to a wheelchair, he has the brilhant idea that it is better (more safe, calm and civilized) to pass the rest of his life in an English prison than free on the streets of Rio De Janeiro... I admire the exit scene of Mr. Biggs. At the age of 71 years, he feels in the flesh that this is not a serious country for old people. He prefers [bad] English beer, the dreary flat fog, crowded pubs, miserable BBC, to return to cheer for the Chelsea [team]. It is a shame that my father --who died 20 days ago -- did not rob a bank in England years ago. The last years of his life would have been more interesting. Essay by Mario Prata, in www.releituras.com/marioprata_biggs_imp.asp
(3) Ronald faz um Biggs negócio. Assustado com a violência no Rio, o maior ladrão de todos os tempos, Ronald Biggs, pede abrigo em penitenciária de segurança máxima na Inglaterra.
[translation] Ronald makes a Biggs deal. Scared of the violence in Rio, the greatest thief of all times, Ronald Biggs, asks for shelter in a maximum security prison in England. From www.ogrelofalante.com.br
(4) Nem Ronald Biggs agüentou tanta corrupção, tanta roubalheira e tanta incompetência. Depois de 30 anos no Brasil, Biggs, o maior ladrão do mundo, volta para seu país ao ver que aqui pode-se roubar à vontade. Ninguém precisa fugir. Governadores, senadores e até os presidentes envolvem-se em escândalos ou omitem-se. É o fim do País ... Ao retornar para Londres, Biggs - ladrão que em três décadas ajudou a difundir a imagem de um Brasil que transforma em herói os que cometem crimes - mostra o quanto o País chafurda na imoralidade e na impunidade. Pois é!
[translation] Not even Ronald Biggs can stand all this corruption, stealing and incompetence. After 30 years in Brazil, Biggs, the biggest robber in the world, returns to his country when he discovers that here [in Brazil] one can rob at will. Nobody needs to run away. Governors, senators and even presidents become involved in scandals or do nothing. It is the end for this Country... By returning to London, Biggs - a thief who for three decades helped spread the image of a Brazil that makes thieves into heros - shows how much Brazil is immersed in immorality and impunity. That is the way it is! from an Editorial in A Noticia newspaper (Santa Catarina), at www.an.com.br/2001/mai/09/0opi.htm
If I had been in Brazil at the time, talking with friends(jogando conversa fora), with bolinhos de bacalhau and caipirinhas on the table, I would have been hearing comments exactly like those above a mix of comedy and tragedy. Well, Biggs is history now, at least as far as Brazil is concerned. The fact that this man should choose to spend his final years in a jail rather than remain in Brazil and the Cidade Maravilhosa does make one stop and think, but only for a few minutes, because life goes on. The letter from our Aussie friend made me spend more time on Biggs than I ever intended. I find it strange that this site is the only really negative one about old Biggs on the Internet. What a con man!
