CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION



HYPOCRISY OF NEW TERROR LAW



The Celtic League have hit out at new so-called anti-terrorism legislation
in the UK which they say will be used to perpetrate abuse against
ethnic minorities.

Yesterday, the UK Home Secretary, Jack Straw, outlawed 21 groups.
A high proportion of these groups were associated with Ireland or
with Islamic countries. The Government also outlawed the Basque separatist
group ETA.

The League say the the legislation based on its precursor the Prevention
of Terrorism Act will be used by the British security services to
target legitimate groups.

They also attack the hypocrisy of the British government pointing
out both they and other governments have been themselves indicted
for involvements in terrorist acts.



J B Moffatt

Secretary General

Celtic League



01/03/01



Text of protest to British Home Secretary below:



The United Kingdom Home Secretary

Mr. Jack Straw MP

The Home Office

Queen Anne's Gate

London SW1H 9AT



Dear Home Secretary,



Ref: Terrorism Act - Proscription of Organisations



We understand, from media reports, that you have, under the aegis
of new Terrorism Provisions, issued orders proscribing a number of
organisations.

The information we have seems to indicate that in addition to proscribing
Irish/Ulster organisations, which were previously listed under the
Prevention of Terrorism Act, you have extended these more draconian
provisions to a large range of Islamic groups and also some groups
operating in Europe.

The Celtic League is totally opposed to violence as a means of resolving
political conflict or achieving self determination. However, we would
be extremely naive if we did not recognise that in some instances
National groups are left with little alternative because of racial
intolerance shown towards them as an ethnic group or because of a
failure to provide political structures and institutions which enable
conflict resolution in a meaningful manner.

It is particularly ironic that your government is using the failed
apparatus of previous administrations to resolve the perceived threat
of 'Irish terrorism'. The Prevention of Terrorism Act, POT, which
proceeded this legislation, was thoroughly discredited. It was quite
blatantly used as a racist instrument by agencies of the British State
particularly at entry ports to the UK from Ireland to harass and intimidate
innocent people. The POT provisions were also the precursor to some
of the most iniquitous miscarriages of justice that the British State
has ever perpetrated.

We note that you were advised, in the compilation of your 'Proscribed
Organisations List', by the military intelligence services of the
United Kingdom. This is hypocrisy of the highest order for in fact
some elements of your security services have a track record of involvement
in terrorist

outrages perpetrated both in Ulster and in the Republic of Ireland.

In this regard the British government has common guilt with the government
of Spain which orchestrated a series of outrages and killings in the
Basque country, running a paramilitary terrorist structure, the GAL,
which killed Basque nationalists. Paradoxically, we note that you
have chosen to outlaw the Basque separatist group ETA despite the
fact that ETA and other Basque Nationalist organisations have indicated
that they would accept meaningful structures for non-violent conflict
resolution.

Some of the Islamic organisations listed we have limited knowledge
of and therefore we will restrict our comment in respect of these.
However one is left with a concern on studying the list that it appears
to include groups who have a genuine struggle against great injustice
and abuse of human rights. The list also gives us cause to suspect
that the inclusion of so many Islamic groups, who have carried out
no abuse of UK law, could be the harbinger of oppression of the Muslim
community similar, to that which the Irish community in Britain suffered
following the introduction of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation.

We have no doubt that the Home Office, and the British government,
introduced this legislation with good intentions. However, the manner
in which it is structured, the ethnic approach in which it is directed
and the experience of previous exercises of this type, we believe
it will prove iniquitous. It is a Charter for the abuse in the United
Kingdom by the Security Services of minority and ethnic groups. We
oppose it. We will continue to speak out against it. We will continue
to speak out on behalf of groups, both in the Celtic countries and
globally, who are forced by the intransigence of Nation States or
power blocs to defend themselves.



Yours sincerely,



J B Moffatt

Secretary General

Bernard Moffatt

Secretary General

Celtic League



01/03/01



The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries of the
western British Isles and Brittany. It works to promote cooperation
between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political,
cultural and environmental matters. It targets human rights abuse
and monitors all milatary activity within these areas.

note: due to data registration problems in the Isle of Man the manxman
site (above)is currently down you can get general League info at:

http://homepages.enterprise.net/mlockerby/clint/clint.html

news at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league

b.moffatt@...