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Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 00:56:10 GMT
From: "SchNEWS" (schnews@gn.apc.org)
Subject: SchNEWS 237, Friday 19th November 1999

Prevention of Terrorism Act

DRAG QUEENS TERROR

"Animal rights, and to a lesser extent environmental rights activists have mounted, and continue to pursue, persistent, and destructive campaigns. While the level of terrorist activity by such groups is lower than that of some of the terrorist groups in Northern Ireland there is nothing to indicate that the threat they pose will go away." - Home Office consultation paper

Yesterday's Queens Speech confirmed what SchNEWS has going on about over the past few months, when a new Prevention of Terrorism Act was announced. The bill introduces a new definition of terrorism: "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." Oi! you, pulling up that genetically modified test site, you're now a terrorist!

This definition comes from America's Federal Bureau of Investigation and will give sweeping new powers allowing the police and security services to target all those pesky protestors that have been getting in the way of big business making a nice profit.

It will also cover foreign-based groups and dissidents living in Britain, giving police and customs officers' powers to seize bank accounts and other assets of suspected terrorists. Would that have meant people in this country supporting the ANC during its armed struggle against apartheid would have been targeted?

Ironically, the new measures are more or less identical to the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act emergency legislation, introduced in Northern Ireland, and whose powers were described as "unprecedented in peace time." How ironic that the government announce these brand spanking new sticks to beat protestors with on the same day as the apparent breakthrough in the Good Friday agreement.

SchNEWS, celebrating its fifth birthday today, would never take the opportunity to be all smug and say we told you so but... (See SchNEWS 224 and continuing hysteria about June 18th). With the definition of terrorism now so broad maybe it's time to drop all this direct action nonsense and instead sit at home, watch TV and go on endless shopping sprees....then we will all feel content. Honest.

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Twenty Seven new bills yesterday, not all of them bad, but here's a few SchNEWS readers might find interesting:

MANDATORY DRUG TESTING

If you find yourself the wrong side of the law, then the police will have the right to carry out compulsory drug tests.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Includes the end of the right of trial by jury for some people.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

At the moment e-mailers can keep their correspondence private by using software which encrypts or scrambles messages into secret codes. But if the government get their way people could receive a 2 year prison sentence for refusing to hand over their private 'key'.

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