Editorial from Kommunistisk Politik, No. 17, August 31, 2002
Now the Danish "anti-terror package", or the so-called "anti-terror
legislation", has been completely exposed. It is meant to suppress democracy,
freedom of speech and political protest. The first victim of the use of this
legislation that was adopted by the national parliament just before the summer
holidays and according to a directive from the EU, again following the US on
the matter, was the reactionary daily Jyllands-Posten.
Journalist Stig Matthiesen has been in contact with and written about fundamentalist
Islamic groups in Denmark. After the appearance of one of his articles in the
newspaper, he was contacted by the Danish Police Intelligence Unit (PET) who
tried to get him to reveal his sources. As he refused, a judge of the Copenhagen
City Court, at a closed sitting and following the playing of a tapped telephone
conversation between Stig Matthiesen and a sub-editor at Jyllands-Posten, lifted
the statutory right of protection of sources in order to get access to Stig
Matthiesen's network in the Islamic environment in Denmark.
Jyllands-Posten has published the story itself, and in an editorial the newspaper
characterizes the measures taken as "abuse of power".
To things are clear: Firstly, the PET's use of tapping is extremely extensive
and also targets the friends of that sinister intelligence service. Secondly,
the new terror legislation, to which the judge of the Copenhagen City Court
referred, suspends traditional legal guarantees and is meant to be used against
democracy, freedom of speech and political protest.
The decision of the Copenhagen City Court has been appealed to the High Court.
Oluf Joergensen, Head of the Department of Information and Administrative Law
at the Danish School of Journalism, points out that the police tapping of the
above-mentioned journalist from Jyllands-Posten is the first known example of
the new surveillance powers that the "terror package" has given to
the police. And he also notes that "democracy is being threatened",
and calls on the press organizations to take a clear stand against what is going
on.
These consequences of the "terror package" are exactly the consequences
against which its opponents were warning, as it, without much discussion, was
bulldozed into law.
This Danish example of the political objectives of the so-called anti-terror
legislation is, internationally speaking, merely a small ripple on the surface
and must be correctly understood, that is, as part of the "War against
Terror" proclaimed and headed by the US. In the US itself, the extended
powers to police and intelligence services and a systematized informer network
with the so-called Patriot Act are changing US society into a "Big Brother
Is Watching You" society that makes George Orwell's book, "1984",
seem unimaginative. The magnitude of the US informer apparatus supersedes by
far the one that was used by the East German Stasi.
In Spain, the Spanish version of the "terror package" has been brought
into action against the demands of the Basques for independence and national
rights. The radical independence party, Herri Batasuna, that has been working
for decades, legally and with parliamentary means, for the Basque cause, has
been illegalised because of alleged connections with the ETA, and Spanish police
have closed down the offices of the party.
All Basque parties have energetically protested this measure because it is not
about fighting terror, but suppressing the national struggle of the Basques
being waged before, during and after the time of Franco.
Being deprived of parliamentary and political means of expression, the radical
protest will be forced in the direction of violence. And this is being called
"fighting terror"!
The logic of the rulers and suppressers is the same from the US to Israel, and
from the EU to Colombia and the Philippines: By reactionary laws and state terror,
they are trying to criminalize and crush political protest.
In Spain, the attempts of reaching political solutions on the Basque national
question are being stopped. We can expect that the same will happen regarding
Northern Ireland. In Colombia and the Philippines, the peace negotiations have
been broken off, and the weapons are starting to talk.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the other insurgent organizations
have been placed on the terror lists of the US and the EU. The Communist Party
of the Philippines and the New People's Army have been put on the US terror
list, and work is being done to place them on the terror list of the EU as well.
This means more war - not stopping terror. This is Ariel Sharon in a global
scale.
The consequences are scaring, but it is this reality that must be the starting
point for all progressive people in Denmark and the world.
The terror laws mean terror against the peoples.
August 27, 2002