3nd December 2011
Water Cannon and Baton Rounds – A Stark Militarisation of British Policing
News has come out this week that the Metropolitan Police, often regarded as the forefront of the British police forces despite each police force being independently run, is seriously considering purchasing three water cannons for use against any unrest in future.
10th November 2011
The Protection of Freedoms Bill – Good and Bad Latest
The Government’s flagship civil liberties and human rights Bill, named the Protection of Freedoms Bill by the Coalition, made successful passage through the House of Commons, having its third and final Commons reading on the 11th October 2011. There were, however, some grave concerns at the methods the government used to thwart some important amendments.
6th October 2011
The Government is Deciding on Human Rights Issues by Misrepresenting Them
There have been some serious developments regarding civil liberties as the conference season took place. Firstly the students arrested for unfurling a banner, then the Mayor of London's draconian speech, and then catgate, the Home Secretary's assault on human rights law.
1st October 2011
Travellers Called “Parasites” Because They Won’t Leave Their Own Land
The Daily Telegraph prides itself in upholding Christian values, the right to property and the maintenance of British civil liberties, yet when it comes to ethnic minorities, commenters on the Telegraph seem to differentiate between those who have much wealth and those who are “parasites”.
16th September 2011
France Bans Praying As Anti-Muslim Crackdown Grows
France is leading the way in the European crackdown on religious practices, especially the practices of the Muslim community. In the latest move, the French Interior Minister, Claude Gueant, has outlawed prayers on the streets of Paris in response to far-right calls to move against the supposed “Islamification” of the secularist State of France.
17th July 2011
Syria – Who to Believe?
Two Syrias exist today. One is the Syria of the human rights groups; the activists; the free media of the West and the relatively free reporting of al-Jazeera. This Syria is one where the protesters peacefully, assertively and bravely protest against a regime that has no legitimacy; has brutally suppressed dissent; tortures children and has a profoundly embedded propaganda machine.
11th July 2011
Further Destruction of Religious Freedom in Europe
The Dutch Parliament has now passed a bill that would seriously undermine religious freedom in the Netherlands. The bill, introduced by the small Animal Rights Party, would in all likelihood outlaw the production of kosher and halal meat, traditional and religiously prescribed foods for Orthodox Jews and Muslims.
5th July 2011
Could Kettling Be Going?
There have been some very encouraging developments recently regarding the police practice of “kettling”, the method by which demonstrators are contained in impromptu imprisonment due to their presence at a protest and the concurrent presence of a minority of suspected trouble-makers.
21st June 2011
Syrians Demonstrate to Support Peace
Reports from the mainstream media are portraying the current situation in Syria as part of the “Arab Spring” – a peaceful rebellion sweeping the Middle East that is ushering in a new dawn of democracy and rule of law. The Syrian government’s official line of an armed uprising killing security forces is often portrayed with derision by the Western media.
8th June 2011
The Freedom Bill – Truncated
In 2009 the Liberal Democrats published what they trumpeted as the milestone in the civil liberty movement: the Freedom Bill. The resulting Protection of Freedoms Bill 2011 falls far short of what was hoped for.
