EU-wide "troublemakers" Database Proposal

[Leiff]

"We can now see a pattern emerging across the EU where people who exercise their democratic right to attend cross border protests are confronted by aggressive para-military policing, surveillance, preventive detention and expulsion.

This is a reflection of the EU's definition of "security" at international events which is now defined as covering both "counter-terrorism" and "public order".

Back in 2003 the bilateral exchange of information on "suspected troublemakers" between EU states for international events was agreed. What is proposed now is not the one-off exchange of information related to a specific event but a permanent EU-wide database of suspected "troublemakers", this is utterly unacceptable in a democratic Europe."

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/apr ... makers.htm

[Rory Winter]

We need to first ask the question: which countries exactly are using their police in order to interfere with cross-border police intervention of this kind? Please also remember that the UK police are doing this as well. And they are doing it internally, for example, to harass and intimidate anti-war demonstrators.

The problem of police intervention and harassment is endemic. It appears to be very much worse in Bushco's USA, Britain's ideological and military ally.

There are right-wing elements in the European Commission who are being instructed by the nationally-appointed Council of Ministers to bring forward the kind of legislation mentioned above. Similarly, there are those right-wing groups in the Europarliament who would sympathise with such oppression.

This Paper originates from the nationally-appointed Council of Ministers or the Council of the European Union: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/nov ... -order.pdf

This is not the elected European Parliament!

All the more reason for people at the grassroots to be engaging in a popular campaign for a stronger, democratic European Parliament. To reject the entire European project and just to sit ineffectively on the sidelines and criticise or condemn is totally unproductive. It's the easy way out that does no one any favours.

We should all be lobbying our MEPs to ensure that the Europarliament opposes such a move.