Sorry, human rights DO shield terrorists
OF Labour’s many lies during this election campaign, few have been more blatant than yesterday’s claim by Sir Keir Starmer: ‘Nothing in the Human Rights Act gets in the way of effectively tackling terrorism.’
Oh, no? On Pages 6-7 today, the Mail lists just a few of countless cases of killers, hate preachers and foreign suspects with close links to terrorist groups who have been allowed to walk our streets freely thanks to Tony Blair’s deeply discredited law. They include Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza – ranting recruitment sergeants for murderers, whose extradition on terror charges was delayed for years as they claimed it infringed their human rights.
Many others who pose a clear threat are still here. Among them are British-Algerian Baghdad Meziane, a convicted Al Qaeda terrorist allowed to stay in Britain to protect his ‘family life’.
Others include nine Afghan asylumseekers who hijacked a plane 17 years ago, threatening to kill those on board. They’ve been here ever since, after successfully claiming they might face ‘inhumane or degrading treatment’ if sent home.
Indeed, we could fill many pages with examples of dangerous men at large in Britain because of the HRA – costing taxpayers tens of millions of pounds in legal fees, benefits and police surveillance.
For Sir Keir to pretend otherwise is deeply unworthy of a former Director of Public Prosecutions and an insult to voters.
But then what better can we expect of a campaigner for Jeremy Corbyn – that lifelong apologist for terrorists, who has voted 56 times against anti-terror laws?
This paper has long cherished Britain’s ancient civil liberties. But like everyone with a shred of a common sense, we accept a balance must be struck between the rights of citizens and their security.
With 3,000 jihadis on our streets, 20,000 more under suspicion – and EU rules letting killers breeze across our porous borders – the HRA has been a huge factor in tipping that balance in our enemies’ favour.
Theresa May deserves great credit for pledging to amend Mr Blair’s charter for terrorists. In so doing, she gives those who care about our future another compelling reason to vote Conservative today.