Over 600 held under terror act at Labour conference (UK)

[struggle4progress]

RAYMOND HAINEY


MORE than 600 people were detained under the Terrorism Act during the Labour party conference, it was reported yesterday.

Anti-Iraq war protesters, anti-Blairite OAPs and conference delegates were all detained by police under legislation that was designed to combat violent fanatics and bombers - even though none of them was suspected of terrorist links. None of those detained under Section 44 stop-and-search rules in the 2000 Terrorism Act was arrested and no-one was charged under the terrorism laws. <snip>

But the Home Office has refused to apologise for heavy-handed tactics used at this year's conference.

A spokesman insisted: "Stop and search under Section 44 is an important tool in the on-going fight against terrorism. <snip>

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=2028602005

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Damn freedom liberty

WTF...... gee deep shit now where is Hilter? Damn goose stepping SS goons sighted.

[savemefromdumbya]

2. This is not the Labour Party

this is a closet neocon take over of the Labour Party.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Wow, I had no idea that the UK was as far down the road to fascism

as we are!

[BeHereNow]

6. As in...READ the writng on the GLOBAL walls.

The legislation is already in place for the rest of us.
Just need that little reason as to "why" they will enact it,
in the interest of "national security" of course...
BHN

[struggle4progress]

7. Such international criminal conspiracies require international ..

.. counter-organizing ...

<edit: clarity>

[The Traveler]

4. "Democracy is on the march"

Maybe in Iraq (unlikely), but is certainly retreating under heavy fire in America and Britain.

[IndianaGreen]

5. The octogenarian Holocaust survivor that was manhandled

Walter Wolfgang, an 82-year-old Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, was thrown out of the conference hall by Labour heavies after heckling the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=2028602005

Here is what Walter had to say about that:

Published on Friday, September 30, 2005 by the Independent/UK

'We Have Been Lied to About The War. I Dared to Speak the Truth'

by Walter Wolfgang

We have been lied to about the war. But not only that. The party has been manipulated so that it has not been allowed to discuss the issue properly.

Indeed, the Labour leaders have got so nervous of criticism that when I shouted the single word "nonsense"- when the Foreign Secretary sought to paper over the issue with smooth words - party officials sent the bouncers in. Even one word of criticism, it seems, was too much.

I had not intended to heckle, much less to make myself the center of national attention and a debate about whether free speech still exists in the modern Labour Party. But Jack Straw spoke such nonsense - about Iraq, and about Kosovo - that it pushed me over the edge.

I could have said a lot more than that one word. I could have said that we should not have marched into Iraq at all. I could have said we were lied to about the war. But one word was enough. Even so I could not believe that stewards were bearing down on me just because I dared to speak the truth.

<snip>

When I was a child living in Germany in the late 1930s, with relatives who died in the concentration camps, things were very frightening. But the policy of the American government today frightens me too. And so does the attitude of the British Government.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0930-22.htm

[LynnTheDem]

8. Hitler is laughing his fucking ass off.

Boy is he laughing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Section 44 allows the police to stop anyone in an area

that has been designated by a senior police officer, and which has been confirmed by the Home Secretary (Interior/Justice Minister equivalent). That area can be as large as the whole area the police officer works in (eg a county), and it lasts for up to 28 days. In that time, any police officer can stop and search anyone, anywhere in the area, for items to do with terrorism - even if they have no reason whatsoever to suspect that person of any connection with terrorism. Hence stopping a man who joined the Labour party before Blair was born. They can just do it to hassle people, and there's not a thing we can do about it (legally).

[McKenzie]

10. time to wake up people

this is unparalleled in recent UK history and should be a source of HUGE concern to everyone. I know there are loads of lunatic conspiracy theorists out there and many others whose sources are questionable. Ignore them and look at the facts.

The stakes are so high that Bush, Blair et al have resorted to desperate measures to try and secure what's left of the world's oil. Their actions in doing so require desperate measures that have provoked immense hostility at home. So they either back off and face the inevitable destruction (maybe too strong a word) of the economy (failure to secure more oil) or they ignore the public and carry on spending billions and billions to secure "freedom and democray" for all. Thing is, there is a lot of public out there so they need to be controlled lest they actually exercise their democratic rights. Best way is by legislation because brute force would not work - it would suppress dissent but it would give the lie as to their real intentions.

That might seem waaay mental scary stuff...what do you think liberal/sane Germans were saying in the 1930's? Remember this...most of what Hitler did was predicated upon the rule of law.