FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
|
------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 10:11:27 -0500 To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> Subject: FC: UK terrorism bill is a true terror itself Send reply to: 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/
---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo@vorlon.mit.edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ------- End of forwarded message -------