Grandmothers: The "New" Terrorists?

The legislators have gone mad - all in the name of allegedly addressing the threat of terrorism.

The Independent has just published this remarkable item:

"Two grandmothers from Yorkshire face up to a year in prison after becoming the first people to be arrested under the Government's latest anti-terror legislation.

Helen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 62, both veterans of the Greenham Common protests 25 years ago, were arrested on Saturday after deliberately setting out to highlight a change in the law which civil liberties groups say will criminalise free speech and further undermine the right to peaceful demonstration.

Under the little-noticed legislation, which came into effect last week, protesters who breach any one of 10 military bases across Britain will be treated as potential terrorists and face up to a year in jail or £5,000 fine. The protests are curtailed under the Home Secretary's Serious Organised Crime and Police Act."

Read the full article here.

What Governments still haven't woken up to yet - even allowing for the apathy of the majority of the population - is that bringing in "silly" legislation does little, if anything, to garner respect for the law. Nevertheless, what has happened in the UK is little different to the sort of laws passed in Australia. All one conclude is to beware and be aware!

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