---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It turned out that somebody had reported…"
description: "\"“It turned out that somebody had reported a suspicious person on the beach, remember when they used to come in fishing-boats, the illegals, and thanks ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/salman-rushdie-153_immigration_it-turned-out-that-somebody-had-reported_2601966.jpg"
---

#  It turned out that somebody had reported a suspicious…

![“It turned out that somebody had reported a suspicious person on the beach, remember when they used to come in fishing-boats, the illegals, and thanks to that anonymous telephone call there were now fifty-seven uniformed constables combing the beach, their flashlights swinging crazily in the dark…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/salman-rushdie-153_immigration_it-turned-out-that-somebody-had-reported_2601966.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/salman-rushdie-153_immigration_it-turned-out-that-somebody-had-reported_2601966.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/salman-rushdie-153_immigration_it-turned-out-that-somebody-had-reported_2601966.jpg)

> ““It turned out that somebody had reported a suspicious person on the beach, remember when they used to come in fishing-boats, the illegals, and thanks to that anonymous telephone call there were now fifty-seven uniformed constables combing the beach, their flashlights swinging crazily in the dark, constables from as far away as Hastings Eastbourne Bexhill-upon-Sea, even a deputation from Brighton because nobody wanted to miss the fun, the thrill of the chase.””

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A chaotic police response to a tip shows how fear and spectacle can dominate public safety efforts.

**In simple terms:** Police overreact to rumors, creating chaos.

Key Takeaway

Question the motives behind mass policing.

Themes

authority fear media public safety spectacle

Mood

critical anxious reflective

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- law enforcement
- community events
- media reporting
- public gatherings

Key Concepts

Surveillance mass mobilization social panic

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives authorities to over‑police?
- How does media framing affect public perception?

A Different Perspective

Excessive force can erode public trust and civil liberties.

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[Beach Flashlights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach-flashlights-1952028/) [Constables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constables-1448249/) [Constables Combing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constables-combing-1952027/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Suspicious Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious-person-1952029/) [Uniformed Constables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniformed-constables-1952026/)

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> [“If all the developed countries would let in just 3% more immigrants, the world’s poor would have $305 billion more to spend, say scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/if-all-the-developed-countries-would-let-in-just-3-more-immigrants/)

[Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/)

> [Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/ed-koch-once-said-that-new-york-city-is-where-immigrants-come-to/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/)

[Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/)

> [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/)

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> [We need to fight to prove to people that it is possible to form an E.U. migration policy that is in line with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-orban/we-need-to-fight-to-prove-to-people-that-it-is-possible-to-form-an-e/)

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[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

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[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

## More by Salman Rushdie

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

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> [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/)

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> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

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> [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/)

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> [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/)

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[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

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[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

[Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More Immigration quotes

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

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> [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/)

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> [“If all the developed countries would let in just 3% more immigrants, the world’s poor would have $305 billion more to spend, say scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/if-all-the-developed-countries-would-let-in-just-3-more-immigrants/)

[Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/)

> [“...the haunted always take refuge in stillness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/the-haunted-always-take-refuge-in-stillness/)

[Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/)

> [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/)

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> [I think what Democrats need to do is they need to work for the country and make sure that not only the southern border…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/i-think-what-democrats-need-to-do-is-they-need-to-work-for-the/)

[Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/)

> [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

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[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 4,018 Immigration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/)

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