Those shamelessly playing politics with fear claim that unprecedented access to all our communications records would somehow have prevented Drummer Rigby’s death. But in no way does this tragedy demonstrate the need for such a Bill. If, as we believe, the suspected killers were already serious suspects, then the contents of their communications could have been legitimately accessed in targeted fashion. To argue that we must now resort to monitoring the entire population is misleading in the extreme. As an MI5 source was quoted as saying in The Independent today, no Snoopers’ Charter would have saved Drummer Rigby.
RIPA already contains strong powers for tracking who terrorism suspects are talking to – including actually intercepting communications or even deploying covert human intelligence sources to infiltrate groups. Now is not the time for additional misguided reactions. As our thoughts remain with Drummer Rigby’s loved ones, we must not rehash half-baked, discredited proposals which leave us no safer and less free.
There have also been calls to make it easier to ban groups with extreme views and for Ofcom to be given extra powers to pre-emptively censor internet sites featuring extremist content. In reality, we already have laws prohibiting incitement to violence and Ofcom has all the clout it needs. Shutting down free speech and imposing broadcast bans comparable to those of the 1980s is not the answer – surely the best way of challenging disgusting views is with more free speech, not less? We must not let the terrorists shut down our open society. We cannot let those in power do it for them.
Furthermore, a network of civilian counter-terrorism officials has been installed in several universities, as part of the “Prevent” strategy, to gather information on extremism. Prevent has proved an intrusive, discriminatory and counterproductive approach, so its return too rings alarm bells. Universities are communities based on trust and knowledge – this latest move risks tainting campuses with suspicion and stigmatising young people.
To reassert our core values at times of tragedy is not to be “soft on terror”. By abandoning our fundamental standards of justice and freedom we undermine respect for the rule of law and lose sight of the very principles we wish to defend. That is precisely the kind of victory which those intent on destruction seek to achieve.
