An interview on the radio this morning with an ex bomb disposal expert from
Northern Ireland, talking about the effect of the draconian anti-terror laws in that
country.
He said the immediate effect was that the republican population were
transformed overnight into strong supporters of the IRA, and any chance of the
Ulster constabulary getting community cooperation in dealing with the extremists
was lost for decades. This was because the authorities “disappeared” hundreds of
innocent people in the first use of the laws, and then commonly thereafter, under
the detention without trial rules.
It should be obvious to anyone that if there is a section of the Australian
community from which the (I think greatly overstated) terrorists threat gains its
support base, then the police need to work cooperatively within this population
to gain its help. This is the only way to have good information coming forward
and to isolate the terrorists within a small extremist group who can’t trust their
own neighbours.
As soon as people are mysteriously disappearing for weeks while being
questioned; being kept under house arrest for years; being locked up for seven
years for complaining about the system or supporting their ex-countrymen
overseas against foreign occupation – then their community is going to start
closing ranks around them. Like Northern Ireland we will have a situation where
there are very angry people with a legitimate grudge against the authorities, rather
than a small number of crazy people with little or no support.
Polititians, especially from the right, like it that way. They have a divided and
terrified population where the majority feel they must vote for authoritarian
leaders who will crack down on the troublemakers. I think it’s important to kick up
a fuss before all this comes to pass.