Background

International Perspective

Amnesty International Press Release

"Big Brother is Watching You" - Article assessing attacks on privacy and dissent

Protest

Websites

from: SchNEWS Web Team (webmaster@schnews.org.uk)
Web: http://www.schnews.org.uk/
@nti copyright - information for action - copy and distribute!

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 Im 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. Terrorism Bill!!

Terrorism, in its 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 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. If direct action organisations are being targeted as potential terrorists, then it is only a short step to 'proscription. Once an organisation has been proscribed 'terrorist, 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 wont 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. You wont 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. 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 misinterpretation.

Clause 18 states that it will be an offence not to report any knowledge of 'terrorist activity. 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 wasnt 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 Feins 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 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, then released without charge.

If you think SchNEWS is getting its knickers in a twist for nothing then heres an example of the PTA working in Ireland.

Bernard OConnor, 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.

From the Big Issue : The Clauses of the Bill

THE NEW TERRORIST BILL

Clause 1 - creates new terrorists (redefines terrorism to include the 'threat' of 'serious violence' against 'property'.)

Clause 3 - ban the dissenters (outlaws organisations the government doesn't like. The paper hinted that the 'scope is very wide'.)

Clause 11 - gag the sympathisers (five years in jail if you speak at a meeting where there is a member of an outlawed organisation.)

Clause 18 - silence the press (five years in jail if you fail to report information which may lead to a terrorist act.)

Clause 42 - harrass the masses (new stop and search powers.  It is an offence if you are in possession of, or associated with, an article that the authorities believe is connected with terrorism - a pair of scissors was mentioned in the standing committee).

Clause 54 - jail 'leaders' for life (are you the contact for anti-GM actions? That carries a LIFE SENTENCE).

Clauses 57-59 - ban solidarity (the so-called 'Mandela' clauses.  If you think you can support freedom fighters, think again.  That's incitement).

ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?

Of course there are!  Anyone holding office under the Crown is excluded - ie government ministers (not those politicians trying to seek election but ONLY those already in the ministry!!!)

More information is available by calling 01273 298192.

SchNEWS Published in Brighton by Justice? - Brighton's Direct Action collective ISSUE *300*, FRIDAY 6th April, 2001

"If a genuine and serious grievance arose, such as might result from a significant drop in the standard of living, all those who now dissipate their protest over a wide variety of causes might concentrate their efforts and produce a situation which was beyond the power of the police to handle." Frank Kitson, Low Intensity Operations

Last Saturday morning 200 police took part in a dawn raid on the Button Factory in Brixton. Cops claimed that the centre was "A secret training centre for anarchists who are planning to bring chaos to London on May Day". Apparently, "Anarchists from across Europe were due to gather... this weekend for riot training and planning."

The raid is part of the hysteria leading up to the planned Monopoly May Day protests with stories in the papers getting more and more ludicrous as the day approaches. The cops feed the media and the media feeds the cops until broken skulls and mass arrests are seen as essential to stop marauding anarchists from leaving the capital and city in ruins.

But it's also part of a wider picture - in this country and across the world - of resistance and opposition to injustice, ecological destruction and poverty being criminalised. As campaigners against single issues like roads or genetics are increasingly cottoning on to the fact that it's the whole damn capitalist system that needs to be overthrown, they're finding themselves being described as 'terrorists'. The stakes are being raised.

The British State is the most experienced place in the world at quelling resistance. General Frank Kitson (who worked in Malaya, Ireland and then Britain in the early 80's) wrote the British state's handbook on dealing with 'subversion' Low Intensity Operations way back in 1971. In it he emphasises the importance of intelligence gathering using "a large number of low grade sources", "psychological operations" such as propaganda against opposition groups, use of the media to target individuals and the use of infiltrators. The aim of this activity is to divide and destroy the movement by encouraging ineffective opposition (voting for 'left-wing' MPs, marching from A to B, listening passively to public speakers at rallies, signing petitions...) at the same time as using the media, police, courts and prisons to destroy effective opposition. As Kitson puts it, the way to smash a movement is "to associate as many prominent members of the population, especially those who may have engaged in non-violent action, with the government" and "to discover and neutralise the genuine subversive element".

Since May Day 2000 this strategy has been actively pursued in Britain. The police used May Day itself to gather an enormous amount of intelligence and get its mates in the media to portray such actions in the future as 'unacceptable' and those involved as 'criminal'. Alongside the arrests, raids and imprisonments, it was not long before "prominent" people "involved in non-violent action" were joining in the police's attacks on the Mayday action and specifically on alleged organisers. These people were quickly used by groups uninvolved in direct action to promote some kind of third way between direct action and doing nothing - a sort of being annoyed at capitalism while tut-tutting people who do something about it. The prominent individuals proposing this sort of ineffectual opposition soon find themselves getting newspaper columns, appearing on chat shows and generally being promoted by those in control of the media. Unless they show support for effective opposition on the streets, that is - in which case they can kiss goodbye to their newspaper columns.

Kitson pointed out that it's no good just repressing opposition when people have genuine grievances - you must allow people to let off steam, but only in ways that don't have any effect. Our job is to make sure that our resistance isn't just about letting off steam, shouting at the telly and cheering people at rallies - but about taking effective action.

BUTTON UP!

Without any sbrand spanking new Terrorism Act came into effect just two days after the UK and good ol' USA bombed Baghdad. We've mentioned the new law plenty of times, but going to the People's Global Action Conference in Milan we heard first hand from across the globe how different governments are dealing with the growing anti-capitalist movement. And hey what a surprise, it's a pretty standard formula: spread propaganda that these people will eat your babies and that the only way to stop them is more repressive laws.

But the fact remains, it isn't anti-capitalists, environmentalists or even those dastardly animal rights protestors who have been bombing Baghdad or Belgrade (yeah, we know - it was 'humanitarian' bombing). It isn't protestors who welcomed with open arms Russia's President Putin after he'd bombed Chechnya back into the dark ages. It isn't protestors who sell Hawk jets to dictators, refuse AIDS drugs to Africans because they're poor, dump toxic chemicals in the poorest countries in the world . We could go on...

Quite by chance however, one clause under the UK's Terrorism Act states that its OK to bomb Baghdad as "nothing in this section imposes criminal liability on any person acting on behalf of, or holding office under, The Crown." It's just when you protest against government policy that you become a terrorist. As the saying goes, "you can't be a terrorist if you've got an airforce".

BUTTON MOON

The Button Factory was opened as a social centre late summer last year, and has been used for a variety of different benefit gigs, get-togethers and parties. But that's now all come to an end after the owner and his hired heavies used mechanical diggers to make the place uninhabitable. So let's get this straight - the police en masse raid an empty building and take 'materials' from it. The owners then smash up the building and make it uninhabitable. The police then keep the building guarded and under surveillance so anarchists don't try and meet there and make plans for er, smashing up buildings.

MEET THE TERRORISTS EUROPOL

Police chiefs from the European Union were joined by heads of police from other countries and representatives from the European Commission, early this year in Madrid. The meeting was the first European Conference on Terrorism, organised by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and Europol. Out of this meeting Europol (the new European Union police similar to the FBI) has started attacking anarchists, anti-capitalists and street violence at mass demonstrations as terrorism. It now wants Europe-wide powers against terrorism. Special security intelligence agency for activist groups and are using informers. The fear is that local people will start occupying things as well, especially as they're so many completely useless infrastructure projects happening at the moment.

COLOMBIA

Oscar was working for a Colombian human rights group when he was arrested at a demonstration and charged with being a member of a guerilla group under special Public Order legislation. "The intention of the special legislation is to scare people and to attack opponents of the government. I was put in a small room with a big mirror. Behind the mirror is the judge who you can't see. He talks through a microphone that distorts his voice. A secret witness accused me and it is impossible to know who that person is. I refused to take part in the trial or use a solicitor - if you are charged under the legislation you are going to be sentenced, everyone is found guilty. If you kill somebody in Colombia you can be sentenced to 10 years and you'll just be in prison for 5, but if you are charged with being a terrorist you can be sentenced to 20 or 50 years. For example, if you are sentenced for throwing a stone at a demonstration you can be put in prison for 20 years. I was in prison for four years. I went on hunger strike and I was temporarily released. Amnesty International bought me a ticket to come to London where I got political asylum. If I go back to Colombia I face 10 years in prison." When SchNEWS asked Oscar's wife what it was like living in London she looked behind both shoulders: "At least we are not looking behind our backs anymore."

GREECE

A new umbrella anti-terrorism law is currently before the Greek parliament representing an attack on the mass movements in general and includes a very broad definition of what constitutes terrorism. It encourages the use of agent provocateurs, and allows facial mapping of suspects and DNA samples to be taken by force.

UNITED STATES

An anti-terrorism bill has just been approved by the state government of Oregon, and is waiting to be ratified by the US senate. Under the bill, tree spiking and sabbing animal research or livestock production would be reclassified as organised crimes with increased penalties. Protesters could face up to 20 years in prison for such 'hate crimes', and victims of 'eco-terrorism' would be able to seek civil damages. The measure is aimed at curtailing the activities of groups like the Earth Liberation Front, which has caused $19.2 million in property damage since 1996. A Republican supporter of the bill said, "The FBI recognises the Earth Liberation Front as one of the nation's leading single-issue domestic terrorists," and went on to compare the way that the ELF operates with the mafia!

PRAGUE

Chris is a well-known activist and cartoonist who went to last September's demonstrations against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Prague. Police arrested her in a school field away from the Conference Centre. What happened to her over the next few days is the stuff of nightmares. "the police asked for my camera and I refused so about seven of them started hitting me and then threw me into a police van knocking me half-conscious.

When I got to prison I just lay on the floor for the first six hours. After a while when they kept refusing us phone calls, all the women in the cell started making lots of noise until they handcuffed us onto the bench in contorted positions. They made us pay a fine saying we would be released but it was a lie and we had to stay the whole night. In the morning I asked to go to the toilet and on the way back I just refused to go back to the cell. I held onto objects while they hit me all over. I was bleeding really heavily and eventually they took me to a hospital where I had loads of stitches. They took me back to the cell and it was empty, all my friends had been released, I freaked out and asked why I was still here and they laughed really ugly. They then took me upstairs to the interrogation room and they start telling me I was going to jail for 20 years minimum for assaulting seven police officers! They said I'd be held for a few months before I even got a hearing. I was afraid of being in four walls for a long time; I couldn't imagine myself staying sane in there. I saw the open window and jumped. I didn't know how high it was or what was at the bottom. I hit the ground - it was the hardest thing I ever felt in my life, I nearly vomited my insides and I started screaming. I thought if I went to hospital they would treat me humanely and the police would have to leave me alone - I was so wrong."

"The Ministry of Interior made the hospital like a fortress. These were not normal nurses and doctors - basically I should have been operated on in the first 24 hours to save my leg and they didn't do anything, they didn't even give me ice or painkillers. They would shake my leg really strong and I was screaming, and they would laugh informing me that I was a terrorist and that's why they treated me like this: 'You come here to destroy Prague so you deserve this,' and 'It's a war zone, you can't expect to have your human rights respected.'They put a cage around my bed even though I had a broken spine, and locked me in a storage cupboard with the doors closed with guards outside so nobody could hear me scream. There was an information embargo about me. My friends called the hospital who told them I wasn't there - many dissidents and important Czech personalities called as well and they got lied to too. I didn't know if anybody would ever find out about me, that's why I was so scared, they refused me any contact with the outside world. It wasn't until all the media hype that I was eventually taken to Austria. My leg literally exploded, and for one month in Austria they wanted to cut my leg off. While I was in hospital in Austria, I was sent a big bouquet of flowers with a card 'with best recommendations - the Czech Embassy.'! The last six months I've been in hospital or laid up in bed. It really did stun me, and I lost a lot of motivation. I haven't drawn any pictures - I was too vulnerable. I made notes in the Prague Hospital on little bits of paper and when I re-read these I was so shocked. I'd forgotten everything, I started shaking. All these memories were so incredibly horrible, it was like a nightmare, I couldn't believe the whole time that it was happening - it didn't seem possible that people could do such cruel things." On the positive side (such as it is) Chris praised "the wonderful solidarity of the people all over the world, regarding the prisoners of Prague. I think that this kind of thing must fascinate even the police and their likes, just because of the immense commitment and frighteningly chaotic strength and self organisation that these campaigns have."

* Since the Prague protests the authorities have been rushing ahead with new laws. Graffiti can now get you a lengthy prison sentence, and there are plans to crack down on public gatherings.

HOLLAND

Gay marriages, smoking cannabis on the streets, laws on euthanasia - Holland is seen by many in Europe as a liberal paradise. SchNEWS spoke to someone from Groen Front! (Dutch Earth First!) who helped dispel some of the myths and tell us about some of the new Kafka style laws in operation. "They have just introduced a new criminal organisation law specifically targeted at anarchist groups. It describes leadership as 'inciting or organising any initiative that other people can act upon.' This is exactly what activists do - organise demonstrations and encourage people to come to them, but it doesn't mean that you are the leader. Another new law is public violence. Recently in the eviction of a squat in Amsterdam, people who'd cooked the night and one person who took part in a pirate radio show got arrested for public violence, after someone threw stones at the police. This is because the new law says that if one person throws a beer can at a police officer on a demonstration, that is public violence and everyone at the demonstration can be arrested for it. Even more bizarre is that if you make a sandwich for someone going to a demonstration you can also legally be arrested!" (This is part of new 'collective responsibility' laws introduced under the cover of stopping football hooliganism at Euro 2000!).

"On International Women's Day a group of Groen Front women occupied a construction site and were held for six days. Some got 20 days in prison when usually the fine for trespass is only 60 guilders (£20). During the Climate Convention in The Hague there was an anti nuclear demonstration that was surrounded by the police and everyone arrested. People were later convicted of ignoring police orders and fined 200 guilders. They said they didn't want this demonstration because they didn't have enough police but there were 5,000 police in The Hague during the Conference! This sort of thing is happening more and more. It shows that they're really scared and they're extremely paranoid of us. They often target individuals. For example one person who has been doing covert actions was put in a psychiatric hospital saying that he had a 'sickly love for nature' and 'disturbing non-realisation of authority.'You can smoke a joint on the street, but if you pass a certain point, or when you get effective they try to really smash you. They have now set up special security intelligence agency for activist groups and are using informers. The fear is that local people will start occupying things as well especially as they are so many completely useless infrastructure projects happening at the moment." GroenFront!, PO Box 85069, 3508 AB, Utrecht, Netherlands www.antenna.nl/nvda/groenfront /

The Right to Protest Forum: The RtPF is in the process of setting up a permanent legal observer group for demonstrations and had some of the initial meetings about
the Bill. Very short of people so if you want to volunteer…

J-B Louveaux
Flat 7
10a Airlie Gardens
LONDON WA8 7AL
Tel: 020 727 0590

e-mail: jb1@netlane.com

Campaign Contacts

An email address has been set up to try to co-ordinate opposition to the Bill : terrorbill@mail.com.

Tel: 01273 298 192 (Brighton)

e-mail: terrorbill@mail.com

Terrorism Bill Discussion List: http://tb_campaign.listbot.com - some browsers have problems with the _ character

Manchester Contact: A30 Group, c/o Dept., 255 Wilmslow Road, MANCHESTER M14 5LW Tel: 0161 226 6814

Liberty: Liberty are co-ordinating the parliamentary aspects. Note that the contact person, Liz Parratt, is extremely busy as she has to deal with all the
horrible new repressive laws the Government is trying to push through! Liberty, 21 Tabard Street, LONDON SE1 4LA. Tel: 020 7403 3888
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk.Office dealing with legislation: Tel: 020 7403 1904. e-mail: LizP@liberty-human-rights.org.uk

www.blagged.freeserve.co.uk/terrorbill/index.htm - To post information on the "blagged" site, please email ralph@blagged.freeserve.co.uk

Site about the Terrorism Bill : http://www.new-labour.com/ : This site has been personally attacked by the Home Office!!!

Pledge to continue dissent : http://www.mayday.2000c.net/