Internment in the United Kingdom during the First World War instance of internment
The British government was initially reluctant to impose widespread internment in the United Kingdom during the First World War, choosing instead to restrict the activities of nationals of enemy nations residing in the UK and interning only those suspected of being a threat to national security. Public anti-German sentiment peaked with the sinking of the Lusitania on 7 May 1915, and the subsequent rioting forced the government to implement a general program of internment.Initial measures
In 1914, there were up to 75,000 nationals of enemy states residing in the UK, and on the outbreak of the First World War there was concern that this community would engage in acts of espionage and sabotage. Under the Aliens Restriction Act, passed on 5 August, all foreign nationals were required to register with the police, and by 9 September just under 67,000 German, Austrian and Hungarian nationals had done so. Areas important to national security, such as defence works, military bases and, by November, the whole of the east and most of the south coast were designated as prohibited; nationals of an enemy state residing in such areas were required to obtain a permit, and those who were denied permission were given four days to relocate. Enemy aliens were also required to obtain a permit to travel more than five miles from home, and they were prohibited from possessing means of communication, such as signalling apparatus and carrier pigeons, and owning photographic equipment, military maps and motorised transport. A decision on 7 August by the military authorities to intern all nationals of enemy states between the ages of 17 and 42 then in the UK was quickly rescinded.
type of example of manifestation of representation of