15.11.2001

Defend democracy

Dave Nellist, chair of the Socialist Alliance, issued the following statement in response to Blunkett?s latest attack

David Blunkett claims that in order to defend democracy it is necessary to withdraw from a key section of the European Convention on Human Rights, and rush anti-democratic measures through parliament. As in the past, such repressive measures could have the opposite effect to that stated.

Internment in Northern Ireland 30 years ago increased, not reduced, IRA recruitment. Over the 25 years of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 49 out of every 50 Irish people detained were never charged with any offence - and of the remainder only a tiny minority were ever charged with any terrorist offence. Over the years, thousands of wholly innocent Irish people were harassed and wrongly detained. That draconian legislation contributed nothing to the political solution that will be needed to bring working people together in Northern Ireland.

For Irish people over the last 30 years, read muslims today. Democracy won?t be defended by rushing through anti-democratic legislation such as this.