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An inglorious day for Parliament and liberty London Telegraph | February 16 2006 The Government's appetite for passing oppressive laws grows with the eating. Yesterday's vote in the Commons to make the "glorification" of terrorism an offence was justified by ministers as essential to combat the rise of extremism. It is nothing of the sort. The existing laws on incitement to murder, to violence, and to racial and other forms of hatred provide all the scope needed to prevent extremists from encouraging others to support violent attacks. There was plenty of "glorification" of terrorism in the demonstrations in London a fortnight ago over the Danish cartoons: but it also constituted incitement to murder, for which the police have not yet seen fit to have anyone prosecuted. The "glorification" law was said to be needed to stop the likes of Abu Hamza: but without it, Hamza is already in jail. It all helps support the case eloquently put by the shadow attorney-general, Dominic Grieve, that yesterday's proceedings were merely a stunt designed to make Tony Blair look tough. Mr Blair himself talked of the measure in terms of being a "signal". As with so much else he does, he sees even something so important as this as a matter of spin-doctoring. The vote overturned a Lords amendment to the anti-terror Bill that would itself have provided an offence of encouraging terrorism. Lawyers can now argue long and expensively over what does or does not constitute an act of "glorification". One man's "glorification" might merely be another man's "encouragement": or even something far less enthusiastic than either. When the law becomes rooted only in narrow semantics, it invites robust challenge, and feeds a climate of increasing absurdity. The British traditions of liberty, free speech and freedom of thought are all ridden over roughshod by this measure. Within three days this limitation on free speech, the introduction of identity cards and the ban on smoking even on private premises have shown this administration in its true colours. It wishes, plainly and simply, to engage as completely as possible in control of individuals and the monitoring of their behaviour. Such part of this as is done in the name of improving the public's protection from terrorists is done dishonestly. Not a single life is likely to be saved because it might be an offence to glorify terror, or because the British people are to be increasingly forced to submit to carrying a state identity card. If someone exalts terrorism his best punishment is to be treated like those who exalt the memory of Hitler, or deny his genocide of the Jews: to be made the subject of contempt and ridicule. If it is exalted to the point of urging violence then there can be prosecutions as the law stands. Instead, the new law will give a steady supply of martyrs, many deliberately seeing how far they can go. That, and the minefield of legal argument that will inevitably follow, will secure one outcome: that the Government will eventually regret this law. Because of its serious impact on our liberties, the rest of us should regret it now. ---------------------------------------------------
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