The New Face of Terrorism
Two grandmothers from Yorkshire face up to a year in prison after becoming the first people to be arrested under the Government's latest anti-terror legislation.
Helen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 62, both veterans of the Greenham Common protests 25 years ago, were arrested on Saturday after deliberately setting out to highlight a change in the law which civil liberties groups say will criminalise free speech and further undermine the right to peaceful demonstration.
Under the little-noticed legislation, which came into effect last week, protesters who breach any one of 10 military bases across Britain will be treated as potential terrorists and face up to a year in jail or £5,000 fine.
This is the reality of Blair's new anti-terror legislation. Many innocent people, ordinary citizens protesting for their civil rights will, under these draconian measures, now be treated as potential terrorists.
I am reminded of the words that feature in the footer of this website. Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would sacrifice a little liberty for a perceived increase in security, deserve neither - and will eventually lose both." And this is where the real political battle is taking place post 9-11. It is an issue on which the terms left and right are no longer applicable. It is battle between civil libertarians and others who feel that such liberties need to be sacrificed for the sake of protection from terrorists.
It's utter garbage.
The rights that Blair, and others, are anxious to forego in the fight against terrorism, are not ours to trade away.
They were won by the brave men, of a preceding generation, in the fields of Normandy; these rights are the results of their sacrifice - a debt that I am proud to say we will never, ever, be able to repay.
Millions of ordinary citizens gave up their lives so that we might enjoy the very freedoms that Blair talks of squandering today. They came from all corners of the globe, and their graves are scattered across continental Europe. They died to protect us from totalitarianism.
Our debt to them demands that we do not give up our civil liberties simply because al Qaeda has killed a few thousand of our citizens.
Our debt to them demands that we celebrate rather than curtail the rights of citizens to question their governments actions.
Our debt to them demands that we stand up for our beliefs against any threat, just as they stood up for theirs against a much more terrible enemy.
They certainly did not lay down their lives to protect us from the criminals listed below:
John Catt
AGE: 81
CRIME?: Wearing an anti-Blair T-shirt in Brighton during the Labour conference.
WHAT HAPPENED: He was stopped under section 44 of the 2000 Terrorism Act as he walked towards the seafront for an anti-war demonstration outside the conference. His T-shirt accused Mr Blair and George Bush of war crimes. He was released after signing a form confirming he had been questioned. The police record said the purpose of the stop and search was "terrorism" and the official grounds for intervention were "carrying plackard + T-shirt with anti-Blair info".
Walter Wolfgang
AGE: 82
CRIME?: Heckling Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, during his speech to the Labour Party conference.
WHAT HAPPENED: The veteran peace activist shouted "That's a lie" as Mr Straw justified keeping British troops in Iraq. He was manhandled by stewards out of his seat and ejected from the Brighton Centre. When he tried to re-enter he was briefly detained under Section 44 of the 2000 Terrorism Act. Amid the disastrous publicity, senior ministers, from Tony Blair down, apologised.
Maya Evans
AGE: 25
CRIME?: Protesting over British casualties in Iraq.
WHAT HAPPENED: Standing on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, she read out a list of soldiers killed in Iraq. She was arrested under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which requires police permission to make a protest within one kilometre of Parliament. She was given a conditional discharge after being found guilty. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, later denied that the prosecution was an "undue infringement" of individual liberties.
Flt Lt Malcolm Kendall-Smith
AGE: 37
CRIME?: Refusing to serve in Iraq.
WHAT HAPPENED: The RAF doctor served in Iraq twice, but refused to return for a third spell of duty last June. He argued that the military action was not justified as Iraq had not attacked the UK or one of its allies. He is being court-martialled, facing five charges of refusing to comply with an order. After a pre-trial hearing rejected his argument that the orders were unlawful, the court martial will open at Aldershot next week.
Brian Haw
AGE: 56
CRIME?: Maintaining an anti-war vigil outside Parliament.
WHAT HAPPENED: Mr Haw has become a permanent fixture in Parliament Square since June 2001, when he erected a series of placards berating Tony Blair and President George Bush. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, was designed mainly with his vigil in mind. But the High Court ruled that the legislation did not cover his protest as it could not be applied retrospectively. The Government is appealing against that decision.
Click on title for Independent article.
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