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Terror laws used to terrorise citizens

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yorkie

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I'm sure you've all heard about the new right-wing authoritarian Terrorism laws that have been used to harras rail enthusiasts, well now they're used against frail 82 year olds.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4291388.stm

And photographers, watch out as our authoritarian police can sieze your camera at any time and delete photos.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4291424.stm

The fact of the matter is, the public were fooled in 1997 and voted in what has turned into a very authoritarian regime who are now striking fear into ordinary citizens and eroding our civil liberties. <(

They can use the Terror laws on anyone, you can be next.

I was once asked ridiculous questions by police for taking photos at Harrow & Wealdstone. I knew as soon as they walked up to us that they were going to be a pain, and this was confirmed when they asked us "What are you taking photos of?" and they told us blatantly obvious things like "Don't go on the tracks", yeah right go and tell yobs that instead and do something useful. We are moving towards an authoritarian police state and it should be stopped now. Sadly, when actual vandals are around nothing much gets done.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4291194.stm

I bet nothing much gets done about that! :x
 
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Mojo

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Prehaps because when vandals are around the police are not?
Those terrorism laws, maybe OTT with the photography thing, especially as a party MP, but if there is someone hanging around the end of the platform, the police have their right to go and ask questions and perform searches if they are genuinely concerned.
A constable may seize and retain an article which he discovers in the course of a search by virtue of section 44(1) or (2) and which he reasonably suspects is intended to be used in connection with terrorism.
How exactly photographs of people queueing up would be used in terrorism though. OTOH, my friend managed to avoid every single secutiry check when entering buildings the other weekend during London Open House.
 

jd

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Mojo said:
he reasonably suspects is intended to be used in connection with terrorism.

Yorkie is right though, does anybody really think the Police could reasonably suspect that trainspotter's photos are intended to be used in connection with terrorism? By all means, they may request to see the photos, but I shouldn't have thought Yorkie was taking photos of anything suspicious, such as under the seats or somewhere like that. Therefore, after they have seen the photos, they should have left Yorkie alone. (Did they BTW?)
 

TheSlash

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'Train spotting' has been going on well before WW2, but suddenly it might be a terrorist thing.
I can't understand why the police haven't shut Eastleigh station yet, all those trains, then the planes coming in overhead.
Its not just the enthusiasts who get hassled. I am based at Eastleigh, approx 25 miles from my house but our area extends to 3 miles from my house {Portchester station} so on nights, if the work is local, i drive my car to Fareham and meet the gang there.
To access Fareham upside carpark, you drive up a pitch black alley, then turn 180 degrees. One night i went to turn up this drive and there was a police car parked right across the entrance {i was turning right, across the carriageway} while they annoyed a boy racer they'd stopped.
I wound down my window and beaped my horn to draw their attention to the fact that i wanted to go up this alley, queue the 20 questions
"Who are you? What do you want up there? Theres no railway access up there. You got any ID? Who do you work for? Wheres your company vehicle?"
The solution was to show my sentinel card then point out they were delaying me in my duties. From delaying me in my duties, you move onto explaining step by step that they could be responsible for a delay etc etc, soon works
 

Mojo

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I agree with what's been said on the BBC, as a Labour Party member I am deeply ashamed of the way that that man has been treated, after just seeing the video on the news.
 

Tom B

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Just shows how much these (already draconian) powers can be blatently abused.
 
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