Anti-terrorism laws used on peace protesters - UK

A civil rights group has launched court action against police after officers used anti-terror laws to arrest peace protesters at Europe's biggest arms fair.

Police in London made 16 arrests on Tuesday around the Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEI) show, a major display of high-tech weaponry from world arms manufacturers that attracts thousands of possible buyers.

Three people were arrested for criminal damage after they threw red paint at a walkway and others were held for obstructing a highway, police said.

"When appropriate some officers used sections 44-1 and 44-2 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to make some arrests," a Scotland Yard police spokesman said.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=13390772&method=full&siteid=50143

"Arms trade protesters were particularly incensed that countries condemned by Amnesty International for human rights abuses, including Syria, Saudi Arabia and several African countries, were invited to the show."

The irony of this is unbelievable. It's OK for these countries to freely purchase arms, despite their treatment of their own people — rape, torture, deprive women of any rights. But somehow people who engage in civil disobedience are terrorists?

:wtf:




 

Kafka is in nowadays.

would not be abused? But here we are. How long before Ashcroft starts using the unPATRIOTic Act to start sending protestors to Gitmo?

Welcome back to the middle ages.

not the U.S. Not sure if Ashcroft's reach goes quite that far — not that I don't doubt this type of thing won't start happening here.

Bush and Ashcroft have been confronted by rather large groups of protesters wherever they have gone in the past few weeks. I'm not sure how long they will allow this situation to continue.

UK home secretary. An authoritarian dickhead who ran my home town of Sheffield into the ground in the 1980's and whose main ploy as home secretary is to copy absolutly bloody everything that A$$crack does! :grr:

:D

Didn't think it possibe.

Wish we yanks could borrow Lord Hutton from y'all.

Bush/Ashcroft are trying to do here with the Patriot Acts (I & II). In fact, having tools to use against protesters (not terrorists) is the primary reason for the Patriot Acts, the secondary reason, is to fight against terrorism. They're not fooling anybody ...., and it's why we must fight against them and their fascist re-write of our Constitution!