Date published: 2007/05/27
The BBC says:
Proposals to allow police to stop and question anyone in the UK under new anti-terror laws have been criticised.
Opponents warned that plans to ask people about their identity and movements may harm community relations.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said care must be taken not to alienate whole communities.
But Home Office minister Tony McNulty said there would be plenty of time for consultation and people should wait to see exactly what the new powers were.
...
The new legislation would be similar to that already used in Northern Ireland.Police are still likely to need a "reasonable suspicion" a crime may be committed. Anyone refusing to co-operate could be fined up to £5,000.
At present, under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, officers already have the power to stop and search people or vehicles in an area seen as being at risk from terrorism, even if they are not suspected of any breach of the law.
A Home Office spokeswoman said that the new proposals would give officers an automatic right to stop and question anyone in the UK about suspected terrorism.
When the BBC says that these proposals "may harm community relations" they of course mean that these proposals "will target Muslims". But that's only the first step. No doubt in future the police would use these powers for all sorts of acts of political repression, just like they used the current terrorism laws to remove a heckler from a Labour Party conference. People who can see no danger from this creeping repression of civil rights have no imagination.
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