Guatanamo Bay in Manchester

photo: Manchester's own Guatanamo Bay complete with watchtower, prisoners and guards

Back in October, Jai Redman, in collaboration with local political art group UHC collective, created a fully functioning copy of the Guatanamo Bay internment camp on wasteland in Hulme . In the camp, nine volunteer "unlawful combatants" (one for each of the nine British prisoners believed to be detained at the camp) were incarcerated for 9 days and nights, under 24 hour surveillance and "armed" guard.

Although labelled as art, the installation had a serious message about how human rights are being infringed. How-ever, the possibility of the whole of the UK becoming another Guatanamo Bay is on the horizon with the Government's new proposed legislation. The Civil Contingences Bill will give the Government the power to arrest and detain you for a criminal offence for criticizing government policy.

If the Government decides that a situation exists that presents a serious threat to the welfare of the population, the political or economic stability of this country, the environment or security of any part of the UK, the Government can effectively turn Britain into a military state. Key parts of the Human Rights Act can be bypassed or suspended without the authority of Parliament. This could mean widespread detention of any suspected group or individual, countrywide security checks, increased police surveillance and seizure of property.

Already foreign nationals are in prison in this country, some since 2001, under anti-terrorism laws without charge or trial. The Civil Contingences Bill will have the potential to extend this hideous, inhuman, undemocratic, practice to UK citizens. Allowing the British Government the potential power to destroy our civil liberties in this manner seriously undermines the principles of democracy in this country.

Defend the Right to Protest

A day of discussion was held at the Friends Meeting House on Saturday 17 January to discuss and decide on actions with different concerned individuals and groups with the purpose of networking together and creating opposition to the Civil Contingencies Bill. Early thoughts are to create a detention centre on Market Street and invite people in. There would be different rooms each on a theme. The idea is to be creative and to shock people into realising this is not about people somewhere on the other side of the world; it's about them.

For the latest on the Civil Contingencies Billm check out UK Resilience - the web site of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. It provides links to government and non-government sources on a wide variety of emergencies and crises that can affect the UK, plus emergency planning guidance and government information.

Heather ([email protected])

Take Action on WMD

In the interests of peace, a Motion has just been tabled which calls the US Government to account for breaching the Geneva Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. In mid-Dec, Austin Mitchell, MP for Great Grimsby, tabled Early Day Motion 300 "Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and Iraq" which invites the signatures of MPs during the next year. If 100 sign, the subject may become a significant mainstream news story. Please consider writing to your MP (see http://www.locata.co.uk/commons) at The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, fax them via http://www.faxyourmp.com or email them via http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm

Further background to EDM 300 is on Paul Flynn MP's web site.

Geoffrey Holland ([email protected])

Home STOP PRESS Latest newsletter
Events listing Campaign contacts
Resources Network for Success
Subscribe now! Search this site