British lawmakers to vote on banning glorification of terrorism

[bemildred]

British lawmakers are set to vote on plans to outlaw the glorification of terrorism as the government seeks to avoid another damaging defeat over key elements of its anti-terror plans.

Last month, the unelected upper chamber of parliament, the House of Lords, voted against introducing an offence of glorifying terrorism, arguing that such a move could put free speech at risk and be unworkable in practice.

Instead, peers in the Lords replaced it with an offence of describing terrorism in a way that would encourage people to emulate it.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke urged the lower House of Commons to back the government in the vote later on Wednesday, accusing opposition Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers of "gratuitously" robbing the authorities of their tools to fight terror.

Turkish Press

[Greeby]

1. They won the vote, 315 - 277

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4714578.stm :(

[Solly Mack]

2. Hmmm

"Politics and the votes today matter," he said. "We need to decide whether we believe that it is right that an individual can legally abuse his right to free speech by glorifying and encouraging terrorism." Home Secretary Charles Clarke


anyone define what "glorifying terrorism" means yet?

[bemildred]

3. Amazingly stupid wording, isn't it?

I always get annoyed with people that think that you can "abuse" your right to free speech, too.

[Solly Mack]

4. I find the wording disturbing and stupid

and it's most certainly intentional

[revree]

5. Cool, then they will have to stop glorifying the Bush administration,

the biggest terrorists on the planet!

[MrPrax]

6. "glorifying terrorism"?

Jeez what could that cover in the right political context?

Terrorists like this:


or this:


or this:


I am sure the precise wording of all this will ensure that 'symbols' of liberation and freedom are not also grounds for incarceration.

One's man terrorist--is another man's hero
Like this guy


or this guy:

[sg_]

13. .

With all due respect to you, all IRA members are scum of the highest order. Same goes for the loyalist paramilitaries. When the IRA has killed people you know, and bombed and murdered innocents in the place you live for no reason; you view things in a differently.

Many people here have made a healthy living off glorifying the actions of the respective loyalist/republician paramilitaries over the past decades. For example in you can get people selling teddy bears with 'Up the Ra' on them in certian places.

Without going too off topic; one may agree with the goal of the nationalist movement but its the methods of bombing/killing anyone who 'worked' with the British in anyway really get to me...

I registered up just to get that out :)

[Democat]

7. Who defines "terrorism" under this law?

Is the Nepalese King a terrorist or are the rebels in Nepal terrorists? Who gets to decide which side is legal to "glorify"? Will they start a new government office for deciding which causes can legally be "glorified"?

[ThomCat]

8. When "We" do it

It will be legal because we're right and have God and Civilization on our side...

But when "They" do it they're glorifying terrorism.

Speach is now either legal or illegal based on what side you're on. What a precedent.

:banghead:

[ThoughtCriminal]

9. Wasn't the American Revolution considered terrorist?

Although he term was probably not used, the definition would probably apply. So, would anything pro-American be banned since that would be promoting terrorists?

[sweetheart]

10. gratuitous legislation

Gratuitous presumption's what the lords are for,
in clipping overproud wings of a neo-orwellian state,
Controlled from the center by cromwell lord inquisitor,
Who saved us so well last time from divisive hissing hate. ;-)
Wink wink nudge nudge we'll stop terrorist finance,
and a hundred quid'll buy you a madrid, instanbul or a thirty-eight,
when legislators push mind control and no angry deviance,
ossified moldy men and antiquity din't save us from what youth fountain mind creates.

I wonder if they know when the next terrorist will strike,
whether he'll start a nuclear war with his bombs and guns of state,
whether fundamentalists can go out, learn to shag and ride a * bike,
Coopted by illusions of god and self as king, a pompous yelling shouts: "meditate".
"Free" is the only way we'll very really be free,
not a sorta little bit, not the same as liberty.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. The politics of fear (or how Tony Blair misled us over the war on terror)

The following day, in his monthly Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister went far beyond anything agreed, or even discussed with, the opposition parties. He dramatically announced a "12-point plan" which put forward new measures which he surely knew that the opposition parties could not support. This 12-point plan at once shattered the harmonious working relationship between the three main parties.
...
The context is important: the Prime Minister had been confronted by a concerted campaign in the tabloid press for new anti-terror laws. He may well have concluded that the thoughtful, consensual strategy worked out with the two main opposition parties came at too great a political cost. He may have decided that it was more profitable to give an impression of acting tough. That was the impression gained by many MPs, including his own supporters. John Denham, a former Home Office minister and chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, described the proposals as "half-baked". He told me later: "There must be concern that the Government agenda is sometimes driven by public and media pressure in this area, rather than a concern for what is most effective."

Tony Blair's terror initiative showed numerous signs of having been cobbled together in a hurry. Some of the measures proved ill thought-out and unworkable. However, it may have achieved the result that the Prime Minister, who left the following day for the West Indies to stay at Cliff Richard's holiday home, wanted. For days before the plan was announced, he had been under heavy pressure from a tabloid campaign, led by The Sun, claiming that holidaying politicians were not taking the terror threat seriously enough.

On 3 August, The Sun raged against holidaying MPs: "LET'S HOPE THE BOMBERS ARE ON HOLIDAY TOO". On 5 August an open letter from Trevor Kavanagh, political editor of The Sun, was headlined: "DEAR MPs, SIX WEEKS HOLIDAY IS ENOUGH FOR ANYONE". Then on 6 August, as Tony Blair flew to the West Indies with his family, The Sun headline was much more reassuring: "VICTORY FOR SUN OVER NEW TERROR LAWS."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article345503.ece

The 'glorifying terrorism' BS is part of Blair's 12-point plan. It comes from pressure from Rupert Murdoch's Sun.

[Orangeone]

12. I just wonder

where are all the people that were so worried about muslims stifling free speech...?