Over 200 people gathered from noon, Sunday 4 April, outside Belmarsh Prison in south east London to protest against the indefinite internment of 14 people and to demand the repeal of the UK's anti-terrorism laws.
Protesters look towards Belmarsh Prison
Over 200 people gathered from noon, Sunday 4 April, outside Belmarsh Prison in south east London to protest against the indefinite internment of 14 people and to demand the repeal of the UK's anti-terrorism laws.
A wide range of people were present, from Muslim leaders to Sambatistas, from Green Party activists (including the deputy mayor of London and a London MEP) to Turkish communists, from Lawyers to anti-racism campaigners. Besides a number of speeches there was also samba, theatre and an MC doing poetry.
The detainees have been held at Belmarsh without charge or trial for over two years and many are losing hope and their minds. After two minutes silence in solidarity with the detainees, as much noise as possible was made by those present so that those inside could hear they had not been forgotten by the outside world.
The demonstration was against such detentions anywhere in the world. Belmarsh prison has been described as the UK's own Guantanamo Bay, in fact the Government had to "opt out" of the European Convention on Human Rights before interning people there. Other countries will now follow this authoritarian example set by the UK, which likes to style itself as the home of justice an the rule of law, despite its blatant disregard for justice and fundamental freedoms.
The website of the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities has much more info
www.cacc.org.uk
"Protest over Belmarsh detentions"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3596779.stm
A wide range of people were present, from Muslim leaders to Sambatistas, from Green Party activists (including the deputy mayor of London and a London MEP) to Turkish communists, from Lawyers to anti-racism campaigners. Besides a number of speeches there was also samba, theatre and an MC doing poetry.
The detainees have been held at Belmarsh without charge or trial for over two years and many are losing hope and their minds. After two minutes silence in solidarity with the detainees, as much noise as possible was made by those present so that those inside could hear they had not been forgotten by the outside world.
The demonstration was against such detentions anywhere in the world. Belmarsh prison has been described as the UK's own Guantanamo Bay, in fact the Government had to "opt out" of the European Convention on Human Rights before interning people there. Other countries will now follow this authoritarian example set by the UK, which likes to style itself as the home of justice an the rule of law, despite its blatant disregard for justice and fundamental freedoms.
The website of the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities has much more info
www.cacc.org.uk
"Protest over Belmarsh detentions"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3596779.stm
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Comments
Hide the following 13 comments
Free to Leave
05.04.2004 14:26
Angel eyes
then what?
05.04.2004 14:35
In any case, deportation requires justification just as detention does.
Z
Neo-freedom
05.04.2004 14:58
"Free to leave" maybe but that supposes they have somewhere to go to.
Only their countries of origin have to accept them but the reason they cannot be deported back to them is that the UK Government accepts they face a serious risk of death, torture or similar treatment in those countries and so is precluded deporting them under the ECHR.
No other countries have offered them entry to their territory and are unlikely to given the stigma after having been locked up in Belmarsh. You may be able to travel where you want on holiday but that doesn't mean people from Less Developed Countries can do the same, let alone emigrate to where they want to.
If you are going to post to indymedia, it does help to think in between cutting and then pasting the official government line into your messages.
Raif
I repeat - still free to leave
05.04.2004 17:03
second point - I am not repeating the government line I am expressing a fact which just because you disagree with does not stop it being a fact. Some of those in custody are from countries such as Pakistan and in one case France. Not countries I think of as unsuitable for deportation too.
Let's face facts these people are trouble makers with no business being in the UK. They represent a threat to you and me and if they don't want to return to their home country it is right and proper that we keep them locked up for our protection.
If you honestly can't see that then I would be very concerned.
Angel eyes
Angel Eyes
05.04.2004 17:44
How can you possibly know this when these people have not been given a chance to put their case in court? The government is intent on scaremongering the public into attitudes like yours. If the burden of proof is too high to convict these "trouble makers" in British courts, then we have no right to detain them - just as the US had no right to detain the Brits who have been released from Guantanamo.
We cannot lock every Muslim in the world away on the offchance that they might be a fanatic.
Josh
What a world
05.04.2004 18:48
If you want to beleive the government has locked them up for PR reasons go right ahead but don't come complaining to me when they blow up you train
Angel eyes
The BBC tonight
05.04.2004 19:30
For those who didn't see it there was an excellent program on BBC1 this evening covering the issue of UK nationals training to be terrorists. It was fair and balanced with emphasis on the views of most Muslims however the truth behind some Muslim clerics and those who follow them is VERY frightning.
ex- BBC journo
To Angel Eyes
05.04.2004 21:48
How do *you* know that they're "trouble makers"? Because Blunkett and the Daily Mail say so? Are you always so uncritical of the official line? Did you believe there were WMDs in Iraq as well?
Besides which, even if they are what you parrot them as being, wouldn't allowing them to leave the country mean that Blunt-tit is "exporting terrorism"?
Holding people on "secret evidence" has a long and unsavoury history. It has always been used against those whom the powerful deem to be "undesirable", whether for political, economic or ethnic reasons. That this is happening right here, right now gives the lie to the notion that we live in a "free", "democratic" or indeed "civilised" society.
TheJudge
I Support the Protestors
05.04.2004 23:09
There is no reason why they should leave any more than any of the other non-British people living here.
"Let's face facts these people are trouble makers with no business being in the UK."
But they haven't been proven to be trouble makers.
"It must be great to be in your world of absolute proof."
I think there are very good reasons for working on the principle of innocence until proven guilty.
"If you want to beleive the government has locked them up for PR reasons go right ahead but don't come complaining to me when they blow up you train"
I will be complaining about the government. Their policies are not helping and probably increase the chances of terrorist attacks in this country. The 'war on terror' is completely phoney. I am not in doubt about whether we will get a terrorist attack here (and no-one should be surprised). The only question to me is when it will happen.
I believe there is no excuse for making attacks on civil liberties when the government has not attempted to tackle these threats in any other ways.
Brian B
angle eyes you stand condemned
06.04.2004 06:43
you are a fanatical lunatic who ought to be inprisoned indefinately.
*
Still a threat whatever you say
06.04.2004 06:54
As I said in an earlier post if you choose to believe the government has locked these people up just for PR reasons then I can't help you. But if like me you realise that the evidence against these people comes from unconventinal sources (including informants in the Muslim community) that can not be used in the wider sense you will see the need for the actions that have been taken.
I looked at the website listed earlier by exBBC journo and it is scary. I suggest you do the same, perhaps it will make you appreciate the danger we face.
Angel eyes
Angel Eyes on Crack
06.04.2004 11:06
Jammy
Free To Leave Yeh?
06.04.2004 16:08
YEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Mr MAYDAY IN DUBLIN