Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Reid's 'stop and question' powers for police are 'UK's Guantanamo'

Reid's 'stop and question' powers for police are 'UK's Guantanamo' 
By Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent 
Published: 28 May 2007 
John Reid has provoked a civil liberties storm and a cabinet split by
floating plans to give police sweeping new anti-terror powers to stop and
question anyone in the street. 
The Home Secretary was accused of taking a further step towards an
authoritarian state as the "draconian" proposals were condemned by
politicians of all parties as well as by human rights and Muslim groups.
Strengthening police powers to stop passers-by is being considered among
antiterrorist measures to be announced before Mr Reid steps down on 27
June, when Tony Blair leaves office.
But there was doubt yesterday whether any such move would be endorsed by
Gordon Brown when he becomes prime minister and Peter Hain, the Northern
Ireland Secretary, warned it could become the "domestic equivalent of
Guantanamo Bay". At the moment, police can challenge people, regardless of
whether they are suspected of breaking the law, in areas which are
considered at risk of terrorist attack, such as Westminster and around
political party conference venues.
The new anti-terror proposals would extend that power nationwide, giving
officers the right to demand anyone's name and address or details of where
they have been if police suspect terrorist involvement.
Anyone who refused to co-operate could be charged with obstructing the
police and fined up to £5,000.
The move would briefly bring the rest of the UK into line with Northern
Ireland, although the stop and question power was, ironically, expected to
be repealed in the province as part of the peace dividend.
After three terrorist suspects on control orders vanished last week, Mr
Reid again complained that police powers to protect national security were
too limited.
His other proposals are thought to include allowing police to question
suspects after they have been charged and toughening control orders even
if it means opting out of human rights legislation.
They will be set out within a month for consultation, with a view to being
included in a counterterrorism Bill in the autumn, by which time Gordon
Brown will be in Downing Street. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We need
to look at how we can ensure police have the powers necessary to prevent
terrorist activities happening in the United Kingdom."
Tony McNulty, the Police minister, said the stop and question powers were
"one of a whole range of things we are looking at with a view to
introducing a terrorism Bill later in the year".
He suggested that such powers could be less intrusive than the
fully-fledged stop and search powers already available to police. But
Peter Hain, a contender for the Labour deputy leadership, warned that the
proposals could backfire. He told BBC1's Sunday AM programme: "We've got
to be very careful that we don't create the domestic equivalent of
Guantanamo Bay, which was an international abuse of human rights, acted as
a recruiting sergeant for dissidents and alienated Muslims and many other
people across the world." 
the independent
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 police and fined up to £5,000.
Le forze di polizia con il potere di fermare i cittadini senza
motivare e di chiedere al fermato nome ed indirizzo? Ma sono pazzi?
Meno male che in Italia non potrebbe mai essere approvato nulla del
genere.
Palmiro Pangloss

 Veramente
Odio doverlo spiegare, ma la mia era una risposta ironica. Qui - in
europa continentale i rappresentanti dello stato non ti chiedono "Come
si chiama e dove abita", bensi' ti chiedono di mostrare un documento
d'identita' valido, se non ce l'hai si procede agli accertamenti al
commissariato, se ti rifiuti di seguirli sono cazzi. Come lo
chiamerebbe il giornalista dell'Indipendent? Guantanamo al cubo?
Palmiro Pangloss