The Offence Of Glorification
Charles Clarke has just announced a new offence of glorifying terrorist acts. This power is so wide that the government essentially have the right to decide which historical figures were terrorists. Since only this week the UN were unable to decide on a definition of terrorism, this is a difficult task. This power carries dangers reminiscent of Nazi Germany, of France during the Revolution, not liberal democratic Britain.
The full extent of the powers becomes clear when you consider that if the powers existed in South Africa for example, Nelson Mandela would fall foul of them. Giving government the power to decide on who is a terrorist is one thing, giving them such sweeping powers leaves the possibility that they could be used to get rid of political opponents or people that raise questions the government can’t answer. People may trust this government (maybe?) but bear in mind that other governments will come and the presence of such powers in our legal system is only ever the first step. The strength of Britain and other liberal democracies and the reason that they are so despised by the likes of Al Qaeda is the freedom they give to their citizens, freedom of thought and speech being two essential components of this. By taking away these essential freedoms the British government is undermining the very values they try to espouse, thereby giving the ‘terrorists’ their biggest victory. If the government say that they will respect human rights and adhere to their traditional liberal values only when it is safe to do so, but abandon them when any challenge arises, they are admitting that their system does not work.
Clarke also announced a new power to hold terrorist suspects for up to 90 days. They are attempting to sneak a discredited power of internment in through the back door. Their argument is that these extended powers are needed to deal with the difficulty in gathering evidence and communication difficulties with foreign suspects. In addition they cite the seriousness of the threat as an excuse. However, these problems all existed in 2000 when they passed the original Terrorism Act but only now will the British people accept these powers because they are so terrified, terror whipped up by the government. In addition the same problems exist when dealing with suspects accused of drug offences, the police often have to deal with foreign suspects in such cases and have difficulties gathering evidence and Class A drugs have had a more detrimental effect on society than terrorism.
Keep your eye on these powers, question everything, you may wake up one day and find you live in Nazi Germany and the Gestapo are at your door.
