In the wake of the July 7 terrorist bombings in London, both the British and Australian governments are pushing for new "anti-terrorism" legislation that will enable them to criminalise the expression of political views that these governments deem to be contrary to their "values".
On August 5, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to introduce legislation to make "indirect incitement to commit terrorism", or making statements "justifying terrorism", a criminal offence. Following Blair's announcement, British home secretary Charles Clarke announced that the new laws would criminalise the expression of "extreme views" that are "in conflict with the UK's culture of tolerance".
That same day, Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that his government would also look at strengthening laws against "advocacy of terrorism".
Under existing British and Australian ordinary criminal law, incitement to violence is an offence. As David Marr observed in the July 27 Sydney Morning Herald: "Incitement to violence is an ancient crime, against the law in every corner of Australia. Anyone who incites others to acts of violence is guilty of a criminal offence. That's also the law in Britain...
"At the core of the crime — for centuries — has been the provision that the threatened violence must be direct, intended and close to hand. That's how freedom of speech is protected."
While disguised as new measures to prevent terrorist acts, the laws that Blair and Howard are drawing up are really targeted against freedom of political speech. Their plans to criminalise "indirect incitement to terrorism", "justifying terrorism" and "advocacy of terrorism" are particularly aimed at suppressing opposition by British and Australian Muslims to the US-led war on Iraq.
The patriotic Iraqi resistance to the US-led attempt to seize control of Iraq's vast oil resources is officially described by Washington as the work of "terrorists" and its war in Iraq as the "central battlefield in the global war on terror".
This was made clear by Blair's announcement on August 5 that his government would outlaw Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation), an Islamist political organisation that has never been linked to terrorism. Indeed, according to the August 10 London Financial Times, "Home Office officials have since confirmed that Hizb ut-Tahrir is not a terrorist group".
However, Hizb-ut-Tahrir has declared its solidarity with the Iraqi people's resistance to the invasion and occupation of their country. It's banning has been justified on the grounds that it describes this resistance as a jihad (holy war) against US domination of the Muslim world.
Howard also made it clear that his push for more draconian "anti-terrorism" laws is aimed at intimating Australian Muslims from speaking out against Canberra's involvement in the war on Iraq. When asked by a reporter at his August 5 press briefing about Australian Muslims who support "what they call the jihad overseas", Howard declared: "Supporting a jihad has no place in the values of this country. A jihad represents, is the epitome of intolerance, is the epitome of the negativity and darkness which we do not want in this country."
Commenting on Blair's planned laws, George Galloway, the expelled Labour MP who re-won his London seat in the May British general election standing for the anti-war Respect coalition, correctly drew the link between these new "thought-police" laws and the war in Iraq. He pointed out that the "scapegoating of the Muslim community and the shredding of rights that survived two world wars and the 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland are designed to create a fearful blanket of silence. New Labour seeks to intimidate because it has not been able to persuade — 85% of people say the London bombings are linked to Blair's war on Iraq."
From Green Left Weekly, August 17, 2005.
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