FC: UK terrorism bill is a true terror itself

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

********

> To: declan () well com
> Subject: UK terrorism bill is a true terror itself
> Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 03:38:35 -0800
> From: John Gilmore <gnu () toad com>
>
> From: "Rop Gonggrijp" <rop () xs4all nl>
> Subject: FW: STATE OF TERROR
> Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 11:26:36 +0100
>
> Executive summary: Personal note, followed by interesting and maybe slightly
> alarming update on new anti-terrorism legislation in the UK. (I guess it's
> only alarming if you weren't previously aware of the level of erosion of
> basic human rights over there).
>
> ---
> The weird thing is that I'm discovering that I am no longer angry at any of
> these developments. I mostly find them hilarious, even though that disturbs
> me a bit...
>
> Slashdot today reports that Janet Reno wants to institute a 'global network'
> to fight computer crime. It'll probably cost a few billion dollars, but then
> 'problems of different jurisdictions' (such as the horrible fact that many
> countries are still effectively outside US jurisdiction) will finally be
> solved. Damn... At this speed, they'll be busting Napster users ("copyright
> terrorists"?) and script kiddies ("corporate website terrorists"?) within a
> few years. The people that reverse engineered the DVD copy protection will
> get life sentences. Invest in the prison industry today, it's a major growth
> market...
>
> In the days of Hack-Tic we've had many fun but practical discussions
> extrapolating the political developments of that time. I'm sure many people
> that were watching events back then have this same feeling of deja-vue I'm
> having. Except this time it's an IRL remake of our crazy paranoid fantasies.
>
>                                                                         Rop
> ---
>
> > From: ir-heath () mail netnames net
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2000 7:32 PM
> > To: rop () xs4all nl
> > Subject: STATE OF TERROR
> >
> >
> > STATE OF TERROR
> >
> >  Are you digging a tunnel to prevent a road from being built through your
> >  neighbourhood? Have you pulled up a few Genetically modified crops from
> >  your local test site? Maybe you spoke at a meeting where a member of the
> >  Animal Liberation Front, for example, also spoke? Well I=92m afraid to 
> tell
> >  you that you are soon to be deemed a TERRORIST!
> >
> >  The government are starting to realise that protests are not going away,
> >  that people are getting more advanced and organised by using such new
> >  technology as telephones and the internet! To combat the outrageous
> >  behaviour of people meeting up in public spaces and discussing
> > issues, the
> >  government have introduced the glorious, updated, newly improved=85.
> >  Terrorism Bill!!
> >
> >  Terrorism, in it=92s hot off the press state, is now "the use of serious
> >  violence against persons or property, or the threat to use such
> > violence to
> >  intimidate or coerce the Government, the public or any section of the
> >  public for political, religious or ideological ends."
> >
> >  This new Bill, which is being fast-tracked through parliament,
> > is targeting
> >  environmental groups, animal rights protestors and anyone who shows a
> >  social or moral conscience.
> >
> >  If you intended to destroy GM crops coz they are contaminating your local
> >  organic farm, you will have less rights than a person who was involved in
> >  deliberate assault and robbery. Basically, you will be classed the same
> >  legally as the Soho nail bomber!
> >
> >  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --
> >
> >  FIT THE BILL?
> >
> >  At present, the only organisations listed are those associated with
> >  Northern Ireland. But the Bill gives the police or government
> > the power to
> >  add to this list. Reclaim The Streets, Earth First!, Animal Liberation
> >  Front have all hit the headlines recently as leading persistent and
> >  destructive campaigns against property . By demonising a group,
> >  organisation, or sector of a community, you can legitimise a treatment of
> >  them that is seen as 'fair punishment=92 by the general public. This is
> >  exactly what happened with Northern Ireland, the coal miners,
> > the anti-poll
> >  tax demonstrators, etc.
> >
> >  Under Clause 3 of the new legislation, it will become an offence
> > just to be
> >  connected with the new definition of 'terrorists=92. If direct action
> >  organisations are being targeted as potential terrorists, then
> > it is only a
> >  short step to 'proscription=92. Once an organisation has been proscribed
> >  'terrorist=92, it will become a criminal offence to belong to that
> >  organisation, to openly support it, or to speak out at a meeting where
> >  members of that organisation were also speaking. The Bill is
> >  scare-mongering people against joining organisations, regardless
> > of whether
> >  or not they personally take part in criminal activity.
> >
> >  In fact, you won=92t even have to be directly involved with the
> > organisation.
> >  The Incitement clauses of the Bill (clauses 57-59)would make it
> > an offence
> >  to support by words alone an armed struggle in a country outside the UK.
> >  Those supporting such struggles as the Zapatistas in Mexico, or the Tamil
> >  Tigers of Sri Lanka, will be under investigation.
> >
> >  Under the same clauses, there is a danger that refugees who have
> > fled from
> >  repressive regimes to this country will become a legitimate target of the
> >  police merely because they support the overthrow of that regime.
> >
> >  CLAUSE 38/39 states that the police will be able to arrest, without a
> >  warrant, anyone they reasonably suspect as being a 'terrorist=92. You 
> won=92t
> >  have to actually have done anything.The powers of stop and search will be
> >  extended to include strip searches without a warrant, and
> > failure to comply
> >  will result in a three month sentence.
> >
> >  As well as this, new rights are being given to the armed forces regarding
> >  searching premises if there is reasonable suspicion of the property
> >  containing munitions and 'wireless transmitter or scanner=92. Does
> > this mean
> >  that we could be listening to Pirate Radio Terrorism FM? Or that
> > John Peel
> >  and Jimmy Saville were terrorists in their early career? The
> > wording of the
> >  Bill is ambiguous and open to misuse thru=92 misinterpretation.
> >
> >  Clause 18 states that it will be an offence not to report any
> > knowledge of
> >  'terrorist activity=92. This has far-reaching implications for
> > investigative
> >  journalists who could face up to five years in jail for not
> > grassing people
> >  up.
> >
> >  The Bill is going through its Parliamentary stages at an
> > alarming rate, and
> >  looks set to become law this autumn.It will replace both the
> > Prevention of
> >  Terrorism Act, 1974, and the Northern Ireland Act, 1973. These two Acts
> >  have led to some of the worst human rights abuses in this
> > country over the
> >  last 25 years, contributed to miscarriages of justice and have led to the
> >  unnecessary detention of thousands of innocent people, mainly Irish. This
> >  new Bill blatantly ignores the European Convention of Human Rights.
> >
> >  The original Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act
> > was rushed
> >  through Parliament in 1977 in record time - first presented to Parliament
> >  on a Wednesday it was law by Friday morning. Not a single Labour MP voted
> >  against it.
> >
> >  Despite what the government said at the time, the PTA wasn=92t meant to
> >  convict people or prevent bombings - it was introduced to
> > prevent the Irish
> >  community in Britain from expressing support for a united Ireland. Less
> >  that 7% of the more than 5,000, mainly Irish, people arrested
> > under the PTA
> >  in Britain in its first seven years were charged with any
> > offence, although
> >  many were detained for days.
> >
> >  The PTA has been widely used to expel innocent Irish people from Britain
> >  and prevent Irish republicans from speaking in Britain - In 1982 Sinn
> >  Fein=92s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness were both banned from entering
> >  Britain to speak. The Act has also been used to remove prominent
> > opposition
> >  figures during 'difficult=92 times for the government - the week 
> before the
> >  death of hunger striker Bobby Sands, 30 leading republicans were arrested
> >  under the PTA, subject to 'extended detentions=92, then released without
> >  charge.
> >
> >  If you think SchNEWS is getting its knickers in a twist for nothing then
> >  here=92s an example of the PTA working in Ireland.
> >
> >  Bernard O=92Connor, a teacher from Eniskillen, was arrested under
> > the PTA in
> >  1977. His first interrogation session in Belfast lasted for over three
> >  hours. He was forced to stand on his toes, bend his knees and hold his
> >  hands out in front of him and was hit in the face when his heels touched
> >  the ground or he lost balance. Every time he denied taking part
> > in bombings
> >  and shootings he was hit again. That afternoon, three detectives tried to
> >  get him to admit lesser charges to avoid 35 years in jail. Then at night
> >  the brutality really started. He was stripped naked, beaten up and forced
> >  to do press ups continually. His underpants were placed over his head and
> >  he was threatened with being choked, then threatened with being
> > handed over
> >  to the death squads of the Ulster Volunteer Force. These interrogations
> >  continued until he was released without charge on Monday night.
> >
> >  Want to know more??? * Liberty, 21 Tabard Street, London, SE1
> > 4LA. Tel;0171
> >  403 1904,
> >  * Discussion list ralph () blagged freeserve co uk or
> >  www.blagged.freeserve.co.uk/law.htm
> >
> >  * Brighton Against Benefit Cuts January 11th, upstairs at The
> > George Beard
> >  Pub, 7:30pm, Gloucester Road, Brighton, to plan for a large gathering on
> >  Sat, 11th March.
> >
> >  * Manchester EF! Mon 24th January, 7:30pm, One World Centre, Manchester.
> >  Michelle 0161 442 8635 or Chris 01942 513 792
> >
> >  * Cultures of Persistance Squat, ( see In Brief) 13th January, 7:30pm, to
> >  discuss a strategy to mobilise against the Bill.
> >
> > --
> >
> > With the defeat of the Soviet Union came the
> > shutting down of the cultural buffer zone
> > between left and right and hence the
> > assimilation of the undefined into existing
> > institutions of capital fundamentalism.
> > Artists and cultural workers are being forced
> > to choose between a path in the capital defined
> > categories of commodification, crime or
> > terrorism.
> >
> > CTA is determined to support individuals and
> > organisations that, if are not already
> > will soon be, branded as terrorists.
> >
> > http://www.irational.org/cta/


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