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UK: Prime Minister says many of those questioned in relation to the anti-terrorism legislation "will be muslims"

28 March 2012

The BBC reports that at his month press conference the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said that identity cards will be introduced "more quickly than even we anticipated", He said that the government had won over those who opposed the controversial measure for civil liberties reasons.

His view is that it is only practical issues and logistics were the only things standing in the way of bringing in ID cards. He is quoted as saying that: "There is no longer a civil liberties objection to that in the vast majority of quarters".

"We need to make sure that in the light of fresh information and operations such as the one we have just seen that we are keeping our law up to date
with the reality on the ground," he said. "I think that the whole issue of identity cards, which a few years ago were not on anyone's agenda, are very much on the political agenda here - probably more quickly even than we anticipated."

Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor, comments:

"The Prime Minister can say that "there is no longer a civil liberties objection" to ID cards but it is for the people will decide how to protect their rights and liberties.

The consultation process on ID cards ignored thousands of objections and the promised Bill has yet to be published. What we do know is that the government is intending to introduce compulsory biometric passports (with 5 million people every year having to present themselves at "enrolment centres") and biometric driving licences, both to be renewed every 5 or 10 years. There is to be for the first time a national population database and a NHS database of everyone personal medical records on a central database run by BT. And the Childrens' Bill will create a database of all children and parents.

We also know that under EU plans there is to be the surveillance of all travel by air inside the UK and outside and that there is to be the mandatory retention of all communications data (records of phone-calls, e-mails, faxes, mobile calls and internet use).

But we also know that the only protection against the misuse and abuse of this mountain of personal data is the Data Protection Act which quite simply does not work - even the European Commission's belated review admits this.

The Prime Minister may be right that people no longer care about their privacy or think that all this is all necessary in the "war on terrorism", the battle against organised crime and to stop "illegal" immigration - fears played on daily by the government. But on the other hand he may be wrong. People may decide, when they put all the pieces together, that if democracy is worth defending against these "threats" that privacy and civil liberties are what distinguishes a democracy from totalitarianism."

"Many of those that will be questioned will be Muslims"

At the same press conference he denied that the current anti-terrorism legislation was aimed at Muslims. "This particular form of terrorism that we are dealing with is based on what I think the vast majority of Muslims would accept is a perversion of the true faith of Islam," he said.

"Therefore, necessarily and obviously, many of those that will be questioned will be Muslims, but that is not in any shape or form a disrespect to the vast majority of the Muslim population here who contribute an immense amount to our country."

Sources - ID cards

1. 1.4.04: BBC
2. Conference at LSE on the Childrens' Bill: Conference (link)
3. Childrens Bill: Text of Bill (pdf) Explanatory Notes (link). Section 8 gives cause for concern as databases could be set up to include every child and every parent
4. Statewatch: The history of ID cards in the UK

Sources - the targeting of the Muslim community

4. Comment article in Guardian, 1.4.04: Aliens in their own country (link)
5. Guardian: "Muslims face "dark age of injustice" (link)
6. Home Office figures on the use of the Terrorism Act 2000 which show that 544 people have been arrested of whom 98 have been charged with offences - no figures for convictions are given: Home Office figures. These figures differ from those cited by BBC Newsnight on 31.3.04 which quoted the Home Office as saying that since 11 September 2001 a total of 548 people had been arrested, 91 charged and only 15 convicted.
7. See also: Statewatch study: UK: Anti-terrorist stop & searches target Muslim communities: Report and analysis