Blairs Dumb New Gag Law

[King Tech Quadafi]

History shows such laws are soon followed by offences like 'being an enemy of the people'

By Eric Margolis
 
LONDON -- Hyde Park Corner is one of the most famous and hallowed spots in this great city. There, each Sunday morning, orators, preachers, revolutionaries and crazies would mount soapboxes and say whatever they pleased.

Nothing was taboo. This was Britain's temple of free speech.

Last week, PM Tony Blair rammed a new law through Parliament making "glorification of terrorism" a criminal offence.

Meanwhile, Blair's big brother, U.S. President George W. Bush, is in deep, deep doodoo over the Iraq debacle, mounting casualties in Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina and the storm of national ridicule caused by trigger-happy VP Dick Cheney. Republicans are gasping for air.

The image of Cheney, the warlord who avoided the Vietnam draft, blasting defenceless little birds and an unlucky friend on a hunting trip last weekend probably did more damage to the Bush administration than all its lies about Iraq.

The only area in which Bush still commands favourable public support is his so-called war on terrorism. Incidentally, the Pentagon just proclaimed a "long war against terrorism," meaning an Orwellian endless struggle against a ghostly enemy that hopefully will keep flag-waving Bible-Belters voting Republican, and defence plants running three shifts.

Over in Britain, Blair's power is eroding. He has been exposed as a serial liar over Iraq. In sharp contrast to the lapdog U.S. media, Britain's feisty press keeps slamming Blair.

How to reverse Labour's waning fortunes? Monkey see, monkey do. Follow your leader, George W. Whip up the voters over "terrorism" even though there is no such thing. (As Prince Hassan of Jordan observed with impeccable logic, "terrorism is a tactic, not a definable enemy.")

Britons are demanding more security after the July 7 bombings of London's Underground that killed 52 last year. Tighter security is certainly in order. Any militant groups -- Muslim radicals, Tamil Tigers, Sikh separatists, etc. -- who resort to violence in the U.K. should be jailed for long term, then expelled. No cause, however noble, justifies attacking civilians.

Reputation undermined

But a vague law mandating prison for "glorifying terrorism" reeks of totalitarianism and undermines Britain's reputation as a font of democracy and justice.

To preserve the status quo, the Great Powers decided to brand all armed struggles against oppression and injustice as "terrorism": Palestinians resisting Israeli occupation; tiny bands of Chechen mujahidin fighting Russian genocide in the Caucasus; guerillas battling communist regimes in Uzbekistan; Filipino Muslims resisting Christian invaders seizing their farms; Kashmiris fighting for independence from India, and so on. All are now "terrorists."

Now, mounting a Hyde Park soapbox to praise the Chechens' valiant struggle or urging Palestinians or Iraqis or Afghans to keep resisting foreign occupation will be a crime. Terrorism has erased the term "justice" from our minds.

The litmus test of free speech is letting people you detest say what they choose, and defending their right to say things that may be painfully hateful or deeply stupid.

Tony Blair just trampled this basic British right. Britain now joins sleazy, third-world despotisms where The Glorious Leader alone determines what one may and may not say.

Stopping the ravings of a handful of loud-mouthed fanatics like the recently jailed British imam, Abu Hamza, is not worth endangering Britain's sacrosanct freedoms.

History shows such gag laws are soon followed by offences like "insulting the leadership." Then, by crimes like "encouraging anti-state activities," and, that gulag gate-opener, being "an enemy of the people."


http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Margolis_Eric/2006/02/19/1450648.html

[Don Rizzle]

why does this concern you?? i'm all for a law which forbids people calling for attacks on british citizens for too long certain people have been taking advantage of british hospitality, although i do admit it is a bit too inspecific, however any kind of glorifaction of terrorism towards britain should have an out right ban in britain and those who defy it should be dealt with accordingly.

[virtuoso]

Do you know why people are being stopped and searched and intimidated by police, for simply displaying anti war messages dessiminating information about torture, or wearing t-shirts attacking the leaders. You really have no idea what you are saying once again!, may I remind that inciting the incitor is already a part of british law, so what the hell does indirect incitement to terrorism mean?. So called glorificiation is truly worrying because it is so broad, again its the drip drip effect of conditioning people to a law, in this case the law will supposedly protect against the "extreme" groups but when labour mps have been asked so what does and doesnt violate this law, they are unable to answer. So its open to fucking interpretation I am getting so pissed off with the attitude of people like you, you embrace cameras which decide if someone is a terrorist you think naked body scanners are harmless, a "slight" objection to id cards, mostly based on the price no doubt and as I have been illustrating time and time again in the other thread its the british government who are eroding our borders who are handing over sovereignty but yet you cant consciously acknowledge this and embrace yet more new laws. For my crime of taking part in a protest against the iraq war i am now on the activists list, because peace protestors are dangerous people give me a fucking break.

Thanks to the terrorist act of 2003, they stopped and searched 1200 people who gathered to protest at the U.S airbase, including an 11 year old oh but wait apart from criminalising and intimidating those people its perfectly fine remember we have to stay safe even though its been documented that a lot of so called terrorism is fake and is being used as a tool to make the government ever more powerful.

[Don Rizzle]

Do you know why people are being stopped and searched and intimidated by police, for simply displaying anti war messages dessiminating information about torture, or wearing t-shirts attacking the leaders. You really have no idea what you are saying once again!,

i never even mentioned stop and search

lol ur so anti establisment its so funny....all these erosions of civil liberties you work yourself up in in a frency how his this effected YOU personally?

[King Tech Quadafi]

why does this concern you?? i'm all for a law which forbids people calling for attacks on british citizens for too long certain people have been taking advantage of british hospitality, although i do admit it is a bit too inspecific, however any kind of glorifaction of terrorism towards britain should have an out right ban in britain and those who defy it should be dealt with accordingly.

The great defender of Palestinian rights and glorified opponent of American hegemony is questioning my criticism of Englands ridicolous new law, because "it doesnt concern me"? Maybe some one is just mad that his country is gettin shitted on for once.

Ok, now do u understand why youre a hypocritical joke, or should i explain it further/?