Under
the guise of protecting the public from ‘extremism’ the government
proposal will allow police to vet the social media activity of “harmful”
individuals and curb their right to speak at public events.
The maximum sentence could be up to 10 years in prison for breaking a banning order.
These new plans would also promise greater powers for British police to access internet data.
Targeted
individuals will also be barred from certain public spaces and from
associating with named people. The plans were unveiled by Theresa May at
the Conservative Party Conference and reiterated by David Cameron, in
his speech on ‘extremism’.
So who is included under this new definition of extremists? Are we just talking about people who allegedly bomb buildings?
Well,
according to David Cameron, the law will target “non-violent conspiracy
theorists” who he claims are just as dangerous as the ISIS terrorists
and must therefore, be eradicated.
He referenced 9/11 and 7/7 Truthers as examples of the type of extremism that must be dealt in a similar fashion to ISIS.
Such individuals are deemed to be a threat to “the functioning of democracy.”
Furthermore,
the Home Office claimed that the government’s “counter-extremism”
strategy would encompass “the full spectrum of extremism”.
In
other words, you no longer have to be violent or cause harm to another
to be declared a terrorist. David Cameron has announced that even those
with views that are not accepted by the government will now be deemed
extremists.
In
addition, police curbing orders would also target those who undertake
activities “for the purpose of overthrowing democracy,” a broad
definition that could encompass political activists of varying views.
Radical Muslims and far-right organisations would also be classified as terrorists.
As the law currently stands, organisations can only be banned if there is evidence of links to terrorism.
Under
the new law, and according to David Cameron’s own definition, anyone
who criticises the functioning of the government or the official version
of events could be subject to laws which severely restrict their
freedom of speech and movement. Theresa May also stressed that you do
not necessarily have to have committed a crime to be subject to these
new orders.
Announcing
these draconian new measures, Mr Cameron added: “The problem that we
have had is this distinction of saying we will only go after you if you
are an extremist that directly supports violence.”
In
addition, those who become the target of government intervention would
also be prevented from holding positions of authority in local
communities and schools.
Enhanced
powers will allow the Charity Commission to close down groups deemed to
be fronts for “extremist activity” as a means of tackling funding
streams.
The law is part of a series of new measures that effectively ban the right to free speech in this country.
Earlier this year, the Akashic Times reported on how Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) laws
targeted individuals who they claim pose a direct threat to VIPs
including the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Royal Family.
It
was given sweeping powers to check more than 10,000 suspects’ files to
identify mentally unstable potential “killers and stalkers” with a
fixation against public figures.
The
team’s psychiatrists and psychologists then have the power to order
treatment – including forcibly detaining suspects in secure psychiatric
units.
The
law targeted activists who were the most vocal about criticising the
Royal Family. Activist David Compan was imprisoned without charges in a
London mental hospital after he publicly associated himself with the
International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCC) campaign
to hold the Crown of England responsible for crimes against children.
Last year, the Justice and Security Act gave the government sweeping new powers to imprison British citizens without a trial.
It
prevents those accused by the government from seeing the evidence
against them, or the witness testimony against them. The individual
concerned would also be unable to submit evidence – or even enter the
courtroom, if it is deemed to be in the court’s interests. In fact, the
court will not even have to inform the person concerned of why they have
been taken to court, or even that a trial is taking place.
It
could mean that the first a person hears of a case against them, is
when the police turn up to take them to jail to begin their sentence.
The
government claim that secrecy is necessary for “the interests of
national security” and added that protection was needed for witnesses
involved in giving evidence against the accused.
This
latest move, announced by Cameron, represents yet another goose-step
into tyranny by a government determined to shy away from any criticism.
Akashic
Times is the UK’s only online, fully independent not-for-profit
newspaper that brings you real news from across the globe.
