Public meeting – uniting communities defeating terrorism, Wednesday
12 October 2005, 6:30pm – 9:30pm, Central Westminster Hall, Storey's
Gate, London SW1H 9NH
Entry FREE – NO TICKET REQUIRED - EVERYONE WELCOME
A broad cross party coalition has come together to challenge some of the government's proposed new anti-terrorist measures. The coalition brings together the Mayor of London, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, Labour MPs, major trade unions, Liberty, lawyers, virtually every major Muslim organisation in Britain, peace and environmental activists, Sikhs, Christians and many others.
The breadth of the new coalition shows that some of the government's most contentious proposals simply will not command the consensus, which the government has said is essential for the legislation to be effective.
There is anxiety about whether the new laws will pass Ken Livingstone's 'Nelson Mandela test' – the fear that under the government’s proposals Nelson Mandela would have been banned and anyone supporting him would be criminalised.
Groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament are also concerned that some proposals will severely curtail the right to peaceful protest around issues like nuclear weapons and nuclear power.
Another key concern is that the measures will reduce the trust and cooperation between the police and communities, which is essential to effectively find and deal with terrorists and their supporters.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: 'What is remarkable is how people from all communities have united since the London bomb attacks, but there is a lot of anxiety about the impact of parts of the government's anti-terror proposals on different communities. This meeting will bring together people from all walks of life, to reinforce the message that the country backs measures to tackle terrorist attacks like 7 July, but we oppose measures, which would exclude or criminalise people who condemn such attacks and whose cooperation is indispensable to the work of the police. Any laws must pass the Nelson Mandela test.'
Frank Dobson MP said: 'If the recent revelations of special branch spying on the Anti-Apartheid Movement Executive are anything to go by I, along with Neil Kinnock, David Steel, Peter Hain and Lord Bob Hughes, would have been liable to arrest under the new law for supporting terrorists.'
Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: 'The Government's proposals to restore internment for suspects and broadly criminalise free speech are the mark of sound-bite legislation which will most likely isolate many people whose assistance is needed to root out extremists.'
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain, said: 'We all need to be vigilant in ensuring that the government's proposed measures do not jettison fundamental freedoms at the cost of providing little or no guarantee of extra security.'
Barrister, writer and broadcaster John Cooper said: 'At the time when the lives of ordinary decent people are put under threat by these appalling terrorist outrages, we must always balance right-minded efforts to defeat these criminals with safeguards to ensure that the very liberties which they seek to deprive us of are not thrown away by rushed legislation, borne more of fear and panic than a thoughtful and effective solution.'
Sadiq Khan MP said: 'It is imperative that there should be a consensus about the best way to fight terrorism – this public meeting is part of that debate.'
Alex Salmond MP said: 'The community must stand together against terror and
to fight against the politics of fear.'
Mark Oaten MP said: 'The government must not hand the terrorists a victory
by taking away long held liberties and principles of justice.'
The campaign will hold a public meeting in Westminster City Hall at 6:30pm
on Wednesday 12 October. This will be followed by a lobby of parliament as
the bill is considered by the House of Commons.
People taking part in the meeting will include:
· Alex Salmond MP, Leader, Scottish Nationalist Party
· Amrik Singh, Sikh Federation UK
· Barry Camfield, Assistant General Secretary, TGWU
· Detective Constable Gareth Reid, Metropolitan Black Police Association
· Dr Azzam Tamimi, Muslim Association of Britain
· Frank Dobson MP, Holborn and St Pancras
· John Cooper, barrister writer and broadcaster
· Kate Hudson, Chair CND
· Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
· Madeleine Bunting, journalist
· Mark Oaten MP, Liberal Democrat, Shadow Home Secretary
· Rt Rev Colin Bennetts, Bishop of Coventry
· Sadiq Khan MP, Tooting
· Shami Chakrabarti, Director, Liberty
· Sir Iqbal Sacranie - Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain
MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO COVER THE MEETING. IT WILL BEGIN AT 6:30pm.
EMAIL: ben.mcknight@london.gov.uk
AND emma.lewis@london.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
A joint statement was put out in August by a range of individuals and
organisations, including the Mayor of London, Liberty, the main Muslim and
Sikh groups, MPs, trade unionists and lawyers, outlining the concerns about
the potential impact of proposed anti-terrorism measures on communities and
setting out the need for a 'broad consensus' in the fight against terrorism
and expressing concern. The statement is as follows:
STATEMENT: Only united communities will defeat terrorism and protect civil liberties
'Our lives, rights and freedoms are precious and we will not surrender them. We stand united in our refusal to be defeated by those who seek to indiscriminately murder people of all faiths and races in our country.
'We support the police and measures against those who plan, support or carry out such terrorist attacks. However, a number of the security measures which the government has said it is considering risk criminalising or excluding people who condemn terrorist attacks and whose cooperation is indispensable to the work of the police in fighting terrorism.
'We believe that the fight against terrorism requires a broad consensus around its means and the involvement of all communities to isolate and defeat those who would use terror to divide us.'
Click
here for a full list of signitories.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from Ben McKnight on 020
7983 4071 (number not for publication)
GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater
London Authority on 020 7983 4100
DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983
4000