Results 1-20 of 39 for terrorism speaker:Evan Harris

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

Evan Harris: ..., but I note that its sponsors in the Lords were not very keen on free speech when it came to the repeal of the blasphemy laws, and generally have not been defenders of free speech when it comes to terrorism law. There is clearly a lobby in favour of extra provisions for free speech in one area, the area of sexual orientation, but we must take that on its merits. What concerns me about...

Bill Presented: Clause 61 — Hatred against persons on grounds of sexual orientation (9 Nov 2009) has video

Evan Harris: ...together on curtailing what would have been an overly broad offence. I have also worked on proposing the repeal of blasphemy, on opposing the criminalisation of the so-called "glorification" of terrorism, on calling for libel law reform and, indeed, on proposing an amendment to get rid of the "insulting" provisions in section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, which we were not able to debate...

Public Bill Committee: Equality Bill: Clause 99 (25 Jun 2009)

Evan Harris: ...some occasions, her party’s record is not great in respect of showing sensitivity towards the stigma associated with its policies on asylum and immigration policies—and, indeed, on anti-terrorism—which all have an impact on the black and Asian population.

Commission for the Compact: New Clause 22 — Penalty for contravening notice relating to encrypted information (19 May 2009) has video

Evan Harris: ...and charities for the law to be changed. We thought that we had won the argument when, during the passage of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing acknowledged that children involved in sexual exploitation are victims and that he wished to give "a clear message that child sexual exploitation is a grave crime that...

Public Bill Committee: Policing and Crime Bill: Clause 55 (24 Feb 2009)

Evan Harris: ...not, even in the Liberal Democrats, involve the suspension of critical faculties; just as other countries, and indeed the Council of Europe, can be critical of some of our laws, for example, on terror. Just because we are a member of the Council of Europe does not mean that, by definition, everything that we do is acceptable. I do not think therefore—I am not suggesting the Minister...

Public Bill Committee: : Clause 15 (10 Feb 2009)

Evan Harris: It is clearly opinion. What elevates opinion to the level of evidence is a moot point, but what helps is that it is public. [Interruption.] The Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing says, “It depends whether you agree with it.” Sadly, that is the approach often taken. I was about to say how the matter is dealt with in academia. I do not claim to be an expert...

Public Bill Committee: Policing and Crime Bill: Clause 13 (5 Feb 2009)

Evan Harris: ...know that it is happening. My final argument of effect is that we should rely more on men to report the fact that women are being coerced, intimidated or forced. The Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing knows that I have made this point before, in previous exchanges on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, in which he did not take the position that he is taking now....

Orders of the Day: Schedule 26 — Hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation (6 May 2008)

Evan Harris: ...), who is present—would recognise, and the Government would concede, that we have correctly forecast the judgments of both our own courts and the European Court on various matters related to terrorism offences. The hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) asked whether it was wrong to insult religious views. I have to say that I do not think it is wrong, although it may be...

Orders of the Day: "Part 3B — Hatred against persons on transgender grounds (9 Jan 2008) has video

Evan Harris: ...history of repeal or abolition of these offences. The Law Commission recommended that in 1985. It was raised first, in recent times, in the House of Lords in 2001, during the passage of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill, when there was a proposal for a religious hatred law. As a result of that debate, a Select Committee of the House of Lords on religious offences was set up under...

Academic Freedom (20 Mar 2007)

Evan Harris: ...ban in advance someone from coming to speak for fear that they might say something that does not respect equality, even though it is not unlawful and does not risk breaching the law with regard to terrorism? Is he saying that universities have the right—in individual cases where they are confident—to ban in advance lawful speech, because it is offensive in some way?

Written Answers — Home Department: Terrorism (5 Mar 2007)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when (a) Ministers and (b) his Department received (i) Lord Carlile's report on the definition of terrorism and (ii) Lord Carlile's report on the operation of control orders which was published on 19 February.

Points of Order: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (22 Feb 2007)

Evan Harris: ...of that work, and responded in the 24th report of the last Session to the 12th report, which dealt with the renewal of control orders. The Joint Committee has produced a further report, "Counter-Terrorism Policy and Human Rights: Prosecution and Pre-Charge Detention", which identifies how we can overcome obstacles to prosecution and provides alternatives to non-jail detention. It supports...

Points of Order: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (22 Feb 2007)

Evan Harris: ...year, the Joint Committee argued that the case for a consolidating Act was "potentially quite strong", and that "the effect of the Home Secretary exercising his power to renew the Prevention of Terrorism Act, rather than to bring forward a Bill, is significantly to reduce the opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny and debate of the control orders regime". I realise that there was a renewal...

Points of Order: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (22 Feb 2007)

Evan Harris: ...the vote to go along with them, by the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer)—why I, and others, will vote against the renewal. We recognise, as does the Joint Committee, the need to tackle terrorism, but we believe that without adequate parliamentary scrutiny we risk making matters worse and providing for bad law that will be counter-productive in the long run.

Written Answers — Home Department: Animal Rights Extremists (29 Jan 2007)

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy to treat attacks on property by animal extremists as terrorist attacks under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.

Bill Presented: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (20 Jul 2006)

Evan Harris: I agree with my hon. Friend. Arguably, section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 could also be used. He is not alone in expressing concern about proscription. The Joint Committee on Human Rights also argued in paragraph 63 of its third report that extending the ground for proscription to cover organisations that glorify acts of terrorism was unlikely to be compatible with the right to freedom of...

Bill Presented: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (20 Jul 2006)

Evan Harris: Paragraph 7.1 of the explanatory memorandum explains that under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the Minister could proscribe an organisation that, among other things, "promotes or encourages terrorism or is otherwise concerned with terrorism." It explains that section 21 of the Terrorism Act 2006 adds the glorification of terrorism to the reasons for proscription. I do not necessarily...

Bill Presented: Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (20 Jul 2006)

Evan Harris: ...rather than under "promotes and encourages". I am not seeking to argue with him; I am just seeking to establish whether, in his view, what he read out from that website did not promote or encourage terrorism, but glorified it.

Terrorism Bill (16 Mar 2006)

Evan Harris: In partial, but only partial, defence of the Government's intention, it is fair to point out that while terrorist acts and incitement offences occur, the convention against terrorism requires the Government to introduce a measure against indirect encouragement or incitement, which is what the Bill does. However, as the Joint Committee on Human Rights pointed out, the convention does not...

Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism (15 Feb 2006)

Evan Harris: ...given the Government room to drop back from their earlier timetable—he was right to point out that that has happened—but the Government asked Lord Carlile to review the definition of terrorism to avoid conflict on another matter and the process is not the sort of force majeure that should allow the timetable on control orders to move. The review is delaying a decision on the...