Here are the minutes of the public meeting: page 1 of 3

STOP THE WAR ON DISSENT

The threat to civil liberties posed by the Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2001
Held Tuesday, 12 February 7pm
Grand Comittee Room
House of Commons.
Hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP
Speakers included:
Ursula Owe, Editor-in-Chief, Index on Cesorship
Lord Rea
Simon Hughes, MP
Prof Conor A. Gearty, professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Civil Liberties Research Unit at King's College,
and a barrister.
Mark Muller, Vice President of Bar Human Rights Comittee
Tim Gopsill, National Union of Journalists, editor of 'The Journalist"
Dr Ghayassudin Siddiqui, Leader of the Muslim Parliament
Stephanie Harrison, Head of CACC and barrister
Dr Ghada Karmi, Vice Chair for the advancement of Arab-British understanding(CAABU) and former president of the Palestinian Community Association in
Britain
Nilufer Koc, Kurdistan National Congress
George Binette, Committee to defend Asylum Seekers.

THE MEETING WAS ORGANISED BY THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CRIMINALISING COMMUNITIES PART OF THE COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM ACTS

"NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS"
Prof Conor A. Gearty:

The CACC was founded in March 01 during the banning of political organisations, in response to the criminalisation of dissent.
As a reaction against a"democracy" where even wearing insignia or holding banners in support of proscribed groups could land
you in prison for 6 months.
Where, as a result of a series of emargency terrorist acts(from 1974 to this day) are being validated by judges as long-term
solutions designed to stamp out The Human Rights Act.
Turkey, aprime example of international backlash against Terror Attacks is is intensifying it's war on Kurds and India it's
war in Kashmir.
These international measures of repression are a result of our very own government's actions.
There is a direct link between our Terrorist Act (2002) and the perpetuation of Fascist repression abroad.

Sister sarah Clarke died last night and at th eCamden Church where the funeral was held, the Irish community mourned the death of one of it's first activists.
She was the first person to stand up to state repression in the 1970s. Sheguided relatives who had their family jailed and convicted under false pretences
often even lost in a systam that systamatically denied human rights to the Irish community of Great Britain.
The first Terrorism Act was in 1974, and now in 2002 we have new revised one which presents athreat far more significant to the world.
Now we have this fig-leaf of legality designed to con u sof our Civil Liberties.
We have come to a point where the appetite for the extension of power by the state knows no boundries.
We live in a state that has a profound mistrust of representative democracy.
The Terrorism Act started as an emergency law put through government after a series of crises from 1939 to this day.
Now we are left ith a temporary law passed in a state of emargency that has become permanent.

We live ein an age of counter-terrorism, where crime is no longer folowed by punishment but meted out to every individual in
a seies of nfringements of civil liberties.
Now we can be monitored by email, stop and search and be detained without trial. Minority groupse simply
proscribed to a list of new "terrorists"
The Home Secretary himself is opposed to an independent judicial system!
What will be interesting is to see what will happen to the right to trial by jury...
So it would seem that the dismantling of democracy is judged as necessary by our
politicians.
Yet the criminalisation of communities is not compatible with THe Human Rights Act.
This is what happened in Ireland.
Public dissent is possible as long as it is cross-party,led with the unions and grassroots.
Let us remember how the 1974 Incitement to disaffection bill was barred by public action.
Tim Gopsill, NUJ:
We are facing an engineered crisis an dsour gvmt is taking advantage of the situation in
America to encroach upon our civil liberties.
The First Terrorism Act of 1974 was rushed through parliament, said Tony Benn at the time.
We are now in a state of emergency, which was first leaked by David Blunkett to the
Observer. What a spin, bearing in mind that
we didn't have any natural disaster or an invasion to speak of!
This is a new Cold War, even Thatcher called Islam the New Bolshevim in The Guardian today!
The US Patriot Act for example is enforced by ultra right-wingers.
This new Terrorism Act is a confidence trick, and we are the gullible victims.
Dr Siddiqui, Headf the Muslim Parliament:
This is a conspiracy against humanity.
We are creating a new generation of extremists that will revolt in 10 years time.
The gvmt must take responsability for breeding extremism in our communities.
There is obviously youth disenfranchisement when both our main parties are acting alike!
The political system is hostage to the corporate barons.
Today we see the release of Raissi and how we have beeen lied to by the FBI.
DR Ghada Karmi:
We are witnessing a witchunt of Muslims.
How can 3 Palestinian groups who have never operated outside their zone of local conflict be terrorist in the UK?
They never even posed a threat to this country and now even following their opinions is good enough reason to be locked away in jail.
The use of Force to solve a global problem is an American concept. It stands in the way of reasoned negociation.
Nilufer Koc, Kurdistan National Congress:
We are witnessing an isolation of the Kurdish Community by the new Terrorism Act.
What we need is equal participation of our multi-ethnic communities.Kurds can't even travel
outside Britain anymore.At every immigration point they are asked about their affiliation
to the PKK.At the moment even the PKK are backing off as aresponse tothis outrage, in order
to leave thir compatriots in peace.The Tamils are also in one of the oppressed immigrant
communities.
George Binette, Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers:
The framework of The Immigration and Asylum Law in Britain is inherently racist in its
design
This is our 4th Terrorist Act in less than a decade.
The liberal media hagve it a clean bill of health.
It will double the number of asylum seekers detained.
The number of failed asylu, seekers banged up in gaols (called detention centres) without
yet being accused or convicted
is 2000 already.Campsfield is being closed down but they are opening new detention centre
in secluded rural areas, such as a disused airforce base in Worcester.
In April 01 the gvmt announced a special waiver under the Race Relations Act that encouraged

Immigration Officers to refuse Asylum claims from certain minorities as bogus. 8 Ethnic
categories
were named, amongst them were Afghans, Kurds, Somalis and Tamils.
These people are basically refused asylum in Britain before they even get here.
There's a conference on March 23 in Manchester and a demo in Bedford the week after against
the maltreatment of asylum Seekers and Immigrants.
Public actions do work as we saw recently in the case of the political activist from
Cameroun that was not flown back to his own coutry where he would have been killed.
Simon Hughes,MP:
Laws giving powe to the state against individuals are wrong.
It is ironic that the last bastion of democracy is the house of Lords.Thousands of surveillance companies are in place to act out the new
surveillance powers under the revised Terrorism Act.This piece of legislation was initially designed to be temporary.
is designed to be self-perpetuating by the powers that be.Officers of the Law are encouraged to act as if we were all terrorists.