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| Terror law fears may rouse voters in West Yorkshire police chief poll | Terror law fears may rouse voters in West Yorkshire police chief poll |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Apparent indifference to this week's elections for Police and Crime Commissioners is not shared in Bradford, where the Justice and Security Bill has roused fears in the Muslim community, and beyond. | Apparent indifference to this week's elections for Police and Crime Commissioners is not shared in Bradford, where the Justice and Security Bill has roused fears in the Muslim community, and beyond. |
| Last week saw an event called No More Secrets in the city, organised by CagePrisoners, the group set up by journalist Yvonne Ridley who is now standing for Respect at the coming by-election in Rotherham. | Last week saw an event called No More Secrets in the city, organised by CagePrisoners, the group set up by journalist Yvonne Ridley who is now standing for Respect at the coming by-election in Rotherham. |
| West Yorkshire has one of the key police anti-terrorist forces outside London - three of the 7 July 2005 bombers lived in the region and local communities, especially Muslim ones, have not been allowed to forget that. Cedric Christie, a former detective inspector who is standing as a independent candidate in the election for Police and Crime Commissioner in West Yorkshire shared a table at the event with George Galloway, Guantanamo survivor Omar Deghayes and Yvonne Ridley and Respect is supporting his candidacy. | West Yorkshire has one of the key police anti-terrorist forces outside London - three of the 7 July 2005 bombers lived in the region and local communities, especially Muslim ones, have not been allowed to forget that. Cedric Christie, a former detective inspector who is standing as a independent candidate in the election for Police and Crime Commissioner in West Yorkshire shared a table at the event with George Galloway, Guantanamo survivor Omar Deghayes and Yvonne Ridley and Respect is supporting his candidacy. |
| Christie is critical of current anti-terror legislation's lack of transparency and the 'Prevent' approach and says: | Christie is critical of current anti-terror legislation's lack of transparency and the 'Prevent' approach and says: |
| Prevent is a negative tactic which originates from the government and alienates the Asian community. People feel that people are looking at them, treating them with suspicion and they then react in a way where they don't react with other people and it damages community cohesion. | Prevent is a negative tactic which originates from the government and alienates the Asian community. People feel that people are looking at them, treating them with suspicion and they then react in a way where they don't react with other people and it damages community cohesion. |
| In the wake of serious terrorist crimes and the subsequent response to that by way of the Prevent programme, Christie doesn't think that there is a deliberate attempt on the part of government to alienate anyone but says: | In the wake of serious terrorist crimes and the subsequent response to that by way of the Prevent programme, Christie doesn't think that there is a deliberate attempt on the part of government to alienate anyone but says: |
| Prevent is flawed in the way it is principally managed and thought-out. I don't think anyone thought: 'We're going to go along and pick on this part of the community' but that is what has happened because of the way the process has developed. If you think of the way that other public bodies , not just the police but education, health and probation have become involved in the Prevent strategy, it is intrusive from a young age. That stigmatises a large section of our society, and that's not the sort of society I want to live in. | Prevent is flawed in the way it is principally managed and thought-out. I don't think anyone thought: 'We're going to go along and pick on this part of the community' but that is what has happened because of the way the process has developed. If you think of the way that other public bodies , not just the police but education, health and probation have become involved in the Prevent strategy, it is intrusive from a young age. That stigmatises a large section of our society, and that's not the sort of society I want to live in. |
| Mohammed Ayub, Senior Partner with Chambers Solicitors in Bradford whose firm sponsored the No More Secrets evening says: | Mohammed Ayub, Senior Partner with Chambers Solicitors in Bradford whose firm sponsored the No More Secrets evening says: |
| As a firm we deal with this an awful lot – terrorist related work and control orders. In our experience, its created an element of mistrust amongst Asians principally. We don't know who's in the employ of the government and secret service apparatus. Therefore, each person is feeling that they can't trust anybody. I think it very important that as a country and as a state, we have a duty to protect all citizens. The government needs to win the hearts and minds that they talk about in Iraq but perhaps in the streets of Bradford first. | As a firm we deal with this an awful lot – terrorist related work and control orders. In our experience, its created an element of mistrust amongst Asians principally. We don't know who's in the employ of the government and secret service apparatus. Therefore, each person is feeling that they can't trust anybody. I think it very important that as a country and as a state, we have a duty to protect all citizens. The government needs to win the hearts and minds that they talk about in Iraq but perhaps in the streets of Bradford first. |
| Chambers has been involved in the claims and counter-claims about alleged spying on Galloway's office, which include allegations of email-hacking and a possible smear campaign against Respect. Ayub feels that the episode may all be innocent but is part of a 'climate of fear and mistrust.' He says: | Chambers has been involved in the claims and counter-claims about alleged spying on Galloway's office, which include allegations of email-hacking and a possible smear campaign against Respect. Ayub feels that the episode may all be innocent but is part of a 'climate of fear and mistrust.' He says: |
| That level of mistrust destroys any confidence in democracy, so here we are as a nation trying to teach democracy to the world and we can't get our own act sorted out. I think that this is real issue. | That level of mistrust destroys any confidence in democracy, so here we are as a nation trying to teach democracy to the world and we can't get our own act sorted out. I think that this is real issue. |
| There has to be accountability and transparency. Bradford deserves answers because it's a fundamental issue that has been raised and the questions need to be answered. | There has to be accountability and transparency. Bradford deserves answers because it's a fundamental issue that has been raised and the questions need to be answered. |
Chambers achieved a landmark ruling in the House of Lords for a client who had been a suspect under anti-terrorist legislation and was made subject to a control order. The order was successfully quashed in 2009 after the Law Lords ruled that people who are the subject of control orders should be allowed to see more of the case against them, in the interests of a fair hearing. | Chambers achieved a landmark ruling in the House of Lords for a client who had been a suspect under anti-terrorist legislation and was made subject to a control order. The order was successfully quashed in 2009 after the Law Lords ruled that people who are the subject of control orders should be allowed to see more of the case against them, in the interests of a fair hearing. |
| The government revoked the order and Chambers is now pursuing the Home Secretary for compensation. Ayub says: | The government revoked the order and Chambers is now pursuing the Home Secretary for compensation. Ayub says: |
| The then Home Secretary was misguided in taking the application to court to place our client under a control order. Our client lost three-and-a-half years of his life as a result of being made subject to this Draconian order for which they will never release the evidence they have against my client. This is precisely the sort of thing that the Justice and Security Bill would embed. | The then Home Secretary was misguided in taking the application to court to place our client under a control order. Our client lost three-and-a-half years of his life as a result of being made subject to this Draconian order for which they will never release the evidence they have against my client. This is precisely the sort of thing that the Justice and Security Bill would embed. |
No More Secrets took the form of a glitzy fundraiser attended mainly by prominent law firms from across the north. Ayub feels that many solicitors involved with human rights cases believe that: | No More Secrets took the form of a glitzy fundraiser attended mainly by prominent law firms from across the north. Ayub feels that many solicitors involved with human rights cases believe that: |
| For democracy, justice and right to a fair trial, the bill is absolutely detrimental. The law has to be proportionate and this is certainly not. | For democracy, justice and right to a fair trial, the bill is absolutely detrimental. The law has to be proportionate and this is certainly not. |
| Yvonne Ridley who premiered her documentary film 'Lies, Spies and Libya' at the event, emphasised her own concerns about a 'climate of fear'. She said: | Yvonne Ridley who premiered her documentary film 'Lies, Spies and Libya' at the event, emphasised her own concerns about a 'climate of fear'. She said: |
| The stories we hear about police officers sleeping with eco-warriors and activists, for instance - it's shocking. When I came back from Libya, I had a telephone call from a neighbour in Scotland saying that my house had been burgled. I was in London, flew up and found that somebody had been in but nothing had been taken even though there was money there and computers. | The stories we hear about police officers sleeping with eco-warriors and activists, for instance - it's shocking. When I came back from Libya, I had a telephone call from a neighbour in Scotland saying that my house had been burgled. I was in London, flew up and found that somebody had been in but nothing had been taken even though there was money there and computers. |
| There is a risk of turning us into a nation of conspiracy theorists and you sound barking mad if you try to come up with a logical explanation. | There is a risk of turning us into a nation of conspiracy theorists and you sound barking mad if you try to come up with a logical explanation. |
| That destabilising effect of suspicion has impacted upon relations between the Asian and wider communities in the north according to Christie, who is making it central to his PCC campaign. He says: | That destabilising effect of suspicion has impacted upon relations between the Asian and wider communities in the north according to Christie, who is making it central to his PCC campaign. He says: |
| West Yorkshire is a wonderful county with lots of fantastic people living here, lots of different diverse communities, and what we have to do is make sure that all those communities have trust and faith in the police. | West Yorkshire is a wonderful county with lots of fantastic people living here, lots of different diverse communities, and what we have to do is make sure that all those communities have trust and faith in the police. |
| Ann Czernik is a freelance photojournalist specialising in activism in the north of England. All photographs within the text are hers. | Ann Czernik is a freelance photojournalist specialising in activism in the north of England. All photographs within the text are hers. |
| You can see the full list of northern candidates in Thursday's PCC elections here. | You can see the full list of northern candidates in Thursday's PCC elections here. |
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