BRITAIN: Peace protesters are the new terrorists

Dale Mills

Sylvia Boyes and Helen John, both in their sixties, are the latest suspected "terrorists" to be charged in Britain, according to a front page story in the April 6 edition of the London Independent.

Both women are long-time activists, including at the Greenham Common women's peace camp 25 years ago. John was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. They are said to have broken a section of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which contains many of Britain's terrorism provisions. The act makes it an offence for any protester to trespass on a military base. In this case, Boyes and John trespassed by walking through an open gate.

Before the new laws came into force, the military police only had power to escort protesters off the military base, and then later prosecute them for civil trespass. On this occasion, both women were detained by military police for 12 hours and then charged.

The two women will have convictions under terrorism laws recorded and may spend a year in prison.

This bizarre situation follows an incident in London's Whitehall in October last year, where Maya Evans read out a list of Iraqi British war casualties at London's Cenotaph. She was arrested under the same terrorism laws for holding a demonstration without police permission. She was found guilty and given a conditional discharge by a Magistrates Court.

Other incidents listed by the Independent include that of 81-year-old John Catt, who was stopped under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for wearing an anti-Blair T-shirt while walking towards a protest. The police record said the purpose of the stop and search was "terrorism" and that this was because of "carrying plackard [sic] + T-shirt with anti-Blair info".

From Green Left Weekly, April 12, 2006.

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From GLW issue 664