In Britain, Counterterror Laws Trample on Protest
This month, four Palestine Action activists were jailed as “terrorists,” even though the jury didn’t convict them on such charges. The case shows how counterterrorism powers are used to impose extreme penalties on unwanted protests.
The British state has long used counterterror powers to crush national liberation movements. A string of recent legal cases shows how the British courts are today widening these powers in order to criminalize controversial opinions. (Yui Mok / PA Images via Getty Images)
In 1999, Britain’s then-Home Secretary Jack Straw defended proposed counterterror legislation by telling Parliament its use would be curtailed by existing human rights laws. Responding to questions posed by MPs, he assured them that the tabled legislation would not threaten freedom of expression or the right to protest.
This proposed legislation became the Terrorism Act, a cornerstone of the UK’s counterterror powers. A quarter of a century into its existence, Straw’s words ring hollow, as several recent legal cases show how Britain’s counterterror powers disproportionately and unjustly target those resisting genocide and opposing authoritarian and racist governments.
While many communities in Britain have long been familiar with the violent measures promoted under the guise of counterterrorism — Irish Republicans, Muslims, Kurds, and Tamils among them — these powers are currently undergoing a rapid and unprecedented transformation in the courts.
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