Ten students arrested in anti-terror raids in April face continued immigration detention and deportation despite the lack of evidence against them. In a pattern which is becoming increasingly familiar, a high-profile operation by anti-terrorism police amid rumours of imminent atrocities ended with no charges, but with the men turned over to immigration officials for deportation.
Theme: Employment
Fear by design
The Home Office has recently introduced a range of new initiatives in partnership with the creative industries, with the aim of embedding counter-terror and anti-crime measures into the design of public spaces. In his 2008 review, security minister Lord West recommended that crowded areas would be better protected against attacks if professional bodies within the
Campaign against secret hearings
A recent meeting in the House of Commons gave a fillip to the campaign against secret evidence in terrorism cases. In a packed committee room in the House of Commons, on 30 March 2009, MPs, lawyers, journalists, human rights campaigners and activists listened to testimonies (read by actors) from five men whose lives have been
The case of Hicham Yezza
On 6 March 2009, Hicham Yezza, a university PhD student, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment after being convicted of ‘securing avoidance of enforcement action via deceptive means’. Hicham who was a university administrator, underwent a six week detention ordeal after being arrested in May 2008. The case raises many issues about civil liberties and
Exposing the new McCarthyism
A Suitable Enemy: Racism, Migration and Islamophobia in Europe deserves a slow and careful reading. Liz Fekete reaches into the unique archives of knowledge that she has personally accumulated together with the Institute of Race Relations over decades and provides a clear, detailed and insightful road map for those who want to navigate and understand
The minister versus the judges
The recent intervention of the Home Secretary in the dealings of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) shows a worrying disregard for the rule of law. The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, had been battling with judges at the SIAC (the court which hears appeals against national security deportation) at the end of February 2009, when
‘Besieged in Britain’
New report reveals devastating impact on families of Britain’s control orders and detention regime. The Institute of Race Relations has published a new report on the devastating impact on family life of Britain’s anti-terrorist control order and detention policy. The report, entitled ‘Besieged in Britain’, has been written by journalist and author Victoria Brittain, co-author
Impact of arbitrary detention under anti-terror laws
A new initiative has been launched by the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) to assess the impact of detention under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.[1] CAMPACC has become concerned about the use of Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 which allows people arriving or leaving the UK to be stopped and questioned and held
How are thinktanks shaping the political agenda on Muslims in Britain?
Policy Exchange, the Social Affairs Unit and the Centre for Social Cohesion are driving the political agenda on Muslims in Britain while thinktanks on the left are largely silent. Over the last two months, a number of writers, journalists and policymakers associated with the Policy Exchange (PX) thinktank have taken up key positions on Boris
Control order bans contact with ex-Guantanamo detainee
A recent court hearing has banned a desperately ill man, whose daily movements are restricted by a control order, from having any contact with Moazzam Begg, who was detained in Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years. Mahmoud Abu Rideh, a refugee from Palestine, whose health is in a serious condition after numerous suicide attempts since