This is a website from channel 4, regarding the issue of terrorism within democracy. It also describes what terrorism is protrayed as.
WHAT IS TERRORISM
Terror tactics
Terrorism can be defined as 'violent acts carried out by organised groups and aimed at causing widespread terror'. Terrorism is not a movement or a political programme. It is a tactic adopted by different groups and for different reasons.
Terrorists act from many different motives: political, nationalist or religious. They also have many different targets. Terrorists may attack the public, assassinate prominent individuals or damage property. Their goal may be to bring down a government, to force policy changes or merely to gain publicity for their cause.
Thursday 17 July 2008
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Latest Guantanamo Bay video released
This is this the latest video released showing 16 year old Omar Khadr. The videotape shows the detainee being questioned at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp for the first time, Canadian media have reported this, which the BBC are now releasing.
Heres the link for the video - check it out
Heres the link for the video - check it out
Wednesday 2 July 2008
Media and Terrorism: Friends or Foes?
In a panel for The Media and Terrorism: Friends or Foes, the panellists debated how terrorism should be reported, and whether journalists should feel bound by political or professional imperatives. While some argued that the journalists only obligation was towards the reader, others stressed that it was important to deny the terrorists the oxygen of publicity. One panellist said that democracy dies in bits, meaning that the increasing restrictions imposed on reporting as well as the self-censorship practiced by many journalists had gradually, yet substantially, eroded civil liberties.
IS THE MEDIA OVER EXAGERATING AND OVER EMPHASISES THE ISSUE OF TERRORISM. OR IS IT THE GOVERNMENT ANG POLICE FORCE WHO SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IN POTENTIALLY SCARING THE PUBLIC AND ENHANCING THIS SENSE OF MORAL PANIC THAT CURRENTLY SURROUNDS THE FEAR OF TERRORISM.
Moral Panics
What is a moral panic?
A moral panic is an unjustified fear of somthing which tends to find expression on a wide scale in the public arena; Blaming an object or activity for wider social evils/ills.
Typically they feature:
Anxieties about the young and working class 'getting out of hand'
fear of new technologies
fear of the modern world and nostalgia for the 'golden age' in the past
assumption of copycatting
sex and violence: young people finding out about the adult world
Some well known moral panics from the past
Childs Play and video nasties
Mods and Rockers
Internet porn
Effects on society
These moral panics cause a big reaction in society.
Is It Forest Gate All Over Again, Ask UK Muslims
LONDON, 12 August 2006 — Following the arrests of 24 Muslim men across London, Birmingham and High Wycombe, community leaders have come out sharply against the police action demanding that the police show solid evidence to back the arrests.
Terror raids were carried out early on Thursday morning in connection with an alleged terrorist plot to blow up airplanes leaving various British airports.
Dr. Mohammad Naseem, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, told Arab News that he had no confidence in the police raids, “especially with the track record of the police.” He added that the “arrests could be part of a political agenda; by targeting Muslims and using the perception of terrorism, the government is trying to usurp all our civil liberties.”
He stressed that the police had arrested the men in Birmingham with no clear evidence. He said he was amazed because “these same two young men had been previously arrested twice before and released without charge.” According to Dr. Naseem, the community in Birmingham was in a state of shock because the men who had been arrested came from ordinary Pakistani backgrounds and that their families were religious law-abiding people. Dr. Naseem stated, “None of the people in the area, Muslims and non-Muslims, believe the police story about a terror plot, as their previous bungled raid in Forest Gate has proved.”
Sir Iqbal Sacraine, former head of the Muslim Council of Britain, also supports local community demands for more evidence. “If the raid took place to prevent terrorist acts then we applaud the police, but the police must not act on the basis of suspicion only. If we don’t have facts we are in danger of speculation, which in turn can lead to tarnishing the whole community with the same brush,” he said.
Sir Iqbal added, “We then play into the hands of the neocons, Islamaphobes and Zionists who want any chance to denigrate the Muslim community and call them terrorists. Therefore we need the police to work sensibly and to produce hard evidence to support these raids”
LOCAL MUSLIMS SEEM TO BE GETTING FED UP WITH THE CONSTANT RAIDING OF INNOCENT MUSLIMS, AS THEY BELIEVE THE POLICE LACK EVIDENCE. ARE THEY BEING ARRESTED BASED ON THE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGE THE MEDIA HAS PROTRAYED OF MUSLIMS.
Terror raids were carried out early on Thursday morning in connection with an alleged terrorist plot to blow up airplanes leaving various British airports.
Dr. Mohammad Naseem, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, told Arab News that he had no confidence in the police raids, “especially with the track record of the police.” He added that the “arrests could be part of a political agenda; by targeting Muslims and using the perception of terrorism, the government is trying to usurp all our civil liberties.”
He stressed that the police had arrested the men in Birmingham with no clear evidence. He said he was amazed because “these same two young men had been previously arrested twice before and released without charge.” According to Dr. Naseem, the community in Birmingham was in a state of shock because the men who had been arrested came from ordinary Pakistani backgrounds and that their families were religious law-abiding people. Dr. Naseem stated, “None of the people in the area, Muslims and non-Muslims, believe the police story about a terror plot, as their previous bungled raid in Forest Gate has proved.”
Sir Iqbal Sacraine, former head of the Muslim Council of Britain, also supports local community demands for more evidence. “If the raid took place to prevent terrorist acts then we applaud the police, but the police must not act on the basis of suspicion only. If we don’t have facts we are in danger of speculation, which in turn can lead to tarnishing the whole community with the same brush,” he said.
Sir Iqbal added, “We then play into the hands of the neocons, Islamaphobes and Zionists who want any chance to denigrate the Muslim community and call them terrorists. Therefore we need the police to work sensibly and to produce hard evidence to support these raids”
LOCAL MUSLIMS SEEM TO BE GETTING FED UP WITH THE CONSTANT RAIDING OF INNOCENT MUSLIMS, AS THEY BELIEVE THE POLICE LACK EVIDENCE. ARE THEY BEING ARRESTED BASED ON THE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGE THE MEDIA HAS PROTRAYED OF MUSLIMS.
Man shot in anti-terrorism raid
A 23-year-old man has been shot by police during a house raid involving 250 officers carried out early on Friday under the Terrorism Act.
The man, who was later arrested, was taken to hospital after the search in Forest Gate, east London. His injuries are not life-threatening.
A 20-year-old man is also being held at a central London police station.
A single shot was fired, according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will investigate.
The operation was not linked to the London bombings of July 2005, police have said.
"Because of the very specific nature of the intelligence we planned an operation that was designed to mitigate any threat to the public either from firearms or from hazardous substances,"
The purpose of the raid was to prove or disprove intelligence they had received.
The 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism as he was being treated at the Royal London hospital.
The 20-year-old man was being questioned at Paddington Green police station.
Police officers in protective clothing have moved into the terraced house in Lansdown Road in what is being described as a "precautionary measure".
The search of the premises is expected to take several days.
A white and yellow tent has been set up outside the property, while workmen are inserting a two-storey high scaffolding screen around the building.
Several people in the house at the time of the raid have been moved to other premises. They have not been arrested.
A 14-year-old boy Nimesh Patel, who saw the raid, said police broke in through a window, and then opened the front door.
He said the person shot appeared to have a shoulder injury.
Another witness said he had seen a man wearing a bloodstained T-shirt being carried out of the house after the raid.
Meanwhile, a group of around 20 Asian men have gathered outside the gates of the Royal London hospital to protest at what they believe was heavy handed treatment by the police in the raid.
Surveillance
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the raids follow an investigation into international terrorism targeting the UK.
Security sources have described the Forest Gate raid as "potentially significant" and said it followed months of surveillance.
The raid followed discussions between MI5, the Met's anti-terrorist branch and the Health Protection Agency - which advised on the potential health risks of the raid.
An examination of the officers' firearms confirms that a single shot was discharged in circumstances that are currently under investigation."
The Civil Aviation Authority says an air exclusion zone has been set up over east London and will be in place for four days.
Mixed community
Residents said Forest Gate was a typical east London "mixed" community with a large number of Bengali and Pakistani families, along with a recent influx of Eastern Europeans.
One neighbour said the operation early this morning had involved "the most police I've seen in my life".
Another neighbour said a family lived at the address.
"They were respectable and nice people and we do not know anything else. They have always been nice to us," she said.
"They have lived there for a long time. The kids all go to school locally."
Sunday 29 June 2008
Real STOP 'N' SEARCH! ' for Guantanamo cast - no acting required
Guantanamo actors held at Luton airport
The actors who star in movie The Road to Guantanamo and the original detainnee Ruhal Ahmed were questioned by police at Luton airport under anti-terrorism legislation, it has emerged. The men, who play British inmates at the detention camp, were returning from the Berlin Film Festival where the movie won a Silver Bear award.
One of the actors, Rizwan Ahmed, said a police officer asked him if he intended to make any more "political" films.
The men were released quickly and not arrested, said Bedfordshire police.
INQUIRY
"Six people were stopped under the Terrorism Act. This is something that happens all the time and obviously at airports and train stations," said a spokeswoman.
"There is a heightened state of security since the London bombings. Public safety is paramount."
COULD ALL OF THIS BE BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFCANT VIEWS RELATING TO MORAL PANIC THAT THE GOVERNMENT,MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC HOLD?
Actor Farhad Harun was also questioned, along with Shafiq Rusul and Rhuhel Ahmed, the men whose detention in Guantanamo is chronicled in the film.
Mr Ahmed also alleges that he was verbally abused by a police officer and had his mobile phone taken from him for a short period.
The actor also claims that he was told by police that he could be held for up to 48 hours without access to a lawyer.
He says he was initially questioned at the airport's baggage pick-up area and taken to a separate room when he demanded to know why.
They have called for an urgent inquiry into what happened while one of the film's producers, Melissa Parmenter, said the detention was outrageous.
The actors who star in movie The Road to Guantanamo and the original detainnee Ruhal Ahmed were questioned by police at Luton airport under anti-terrorism legislation, it has emerged. The men, who play British inmates at the detention camp, were returning from the Berlin Film Festival where the movie won a Silver Bear award.
One of the actors, Rizwan Ahmed, said a police officer asked him if he intended to make any more "political" films.
The men were released quickly and not arrested, said Bedfordshire police.
INQUIRY
"Six people were stopped under the Terrorism Act. This is something that happens all the time and obviously at airports and train stations," said a spokeswoman.
"There is a heightened state of security since the London bombings. Public safety is paramount."
COULD ALL OF THIS BE BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFCANT VIEWS RELATING TO MORAL PANIC THAT THE GOVERNMENT,MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC HOLD?
Actor Farhad Harun was also questioned, along with Shafiq Rusul and Rhuhel Ahmed, the men whose detention in Guantanamo is chronicled in the film.
Mr Ahmed also alleges that he was verbally abused by a police officer and had his mobile phone taken from him for a short period.
The actor also claims that he was told by police that he could be held for up to 48 hours without access to a lawyer.
He says he was initially questioned at the airport's baggage pick-up area and taken to a separate room when he demanded to know why.
They have called for an urgent inquiry into what happened while one of the film's producers, Melissa Parmenter, said the detention was outrageous.
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