-----Original Message-----
Subject: [resistance] Stop the war on civil liberties!

Add your name to this sign-on statement.

Prime Minister John Howard is using the "war on terror" to promote widespread fear about "terrorists" and "terrorism" in Australia. This is despite the fact that the biggest act of terror being committed today is being carried out by foreign troops, including Australia's, in occupied Iraq.

We condemn the Howard government's reactionary "security" agenda, and the unanimous support of Labor state and territory governments for the draconian federal "anti-terror" laws at the COAG summit on September 27. This represents a bi-partisan attack on our democratic rights.

ALP federal opposition leader Kim Beazley wanted to go further and have all the states to adopt what already exist in NSW where the Police Commissioner has the power to order a lock-down of whole suburbs where there is a suspected "terrorist".

As civil rights lawyers and activists have pointed out, the major parties have signed onto measures to overturn the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy and which are a direct attack on our political freedoms.

The only people who have so far been charged with a "terrorism offence" are Muslims and all groups that have been proscribed as "terrorist organisations" under the Criminal Code are organisations that espouse a connection to Islam. It is clear that the new powers are already being mostly used against Muslim Australians, thereby breaching the principle of equality before the law.

But there is every reason to believe that these laws will soon be used against anyone who disagrees with the government — striking workers, anti-corporate protesters, critical journalists, and peace activists.

The arrest and deportation of US peace activist Scott Parkin, on the grounds of "national security", gives some idea of how the state is preparing to use its increased power.

The "national security" and "anti-terror" laws already adopted bystate and federal governments have given ASIO and the police forces the power to harass, persecute, prosecute and imprison people with impunity. The new draconian laws are also aimed "advocacy of terrorism".

But the "anti-terror" laws have done nothing to reduce the risk of terrorist attack, here or in any other country. Their real purpose is to intimidate and silence dissent. In particular, they aim to gag opposition to the imperialists' wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and any other poor country the US and its allies decide to invade.

We, the undersigned, call on Australian government to:

• Repeal all federal "anti-terror" laws;
• Stop the raids on the homes of Muslims, and launch a public education campaign to stop the racist attacks on the Middle Eastern and Muslim communities;
• Demand that the US government immediately return David Hicks, and any other Australians imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, to Australia;
• Drop the charges against Jack Thomas, which are based on "evidence" extracted under torture;
• Not ban any political or religious organisation in Australia;
• Withdraw its national identity card proposal, and guarantee that the new Medicare card not be used to introduce a national ID card by the back door; and
• Reduce the threat of a terrorist attack by immediately withdrawing all military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Further, we call on the federal Labor opposition and all state Labor governments to act decisively to stop the decimation of democratic rights in Australia by:

• Repealing state "anti-terror" laws;
• Reversing their support for the federal ASIO bill and "anti-terror"laws;
• Committing to not use state police forces to deny civil liberties or silence dissent;
• Ending "random" police searches of individuals at train stations and all public places;
• Opposing the introduction of a national identity card in any form.

To add your name to this statement, email gro.ecnailla-tsilaicos#64;eciffo_lanoitan (*)

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