Thursday, August 30, 2007

How can you police "fear'?

The draft Treaty has this clause "Article 61 1. The Union shall constitute an area of freedom, security and justice with respect for fundamental rights and the different legal systems and traditions of the Member States. 2. It shall ensure the absence of internal border controls for persons and shall frame a common policy on asylum, immigration and external border control, based on solidarity between Member States, which is fair towards third-country nationals. For the purpose of this Title, stateless persons shall be treated as third-country nationals. 3. The Union shall endeavour to ensure a high level of security through measures to prevent and combat crime, racism and xenophobia, and through measures for coordination and cooperation between police and judicial authorities and other competent authorities, as well as through the mutual recognition of judgments in criminal matters and, if necessary, through the approximation of criminal laws. 4. The Union shall facilitate access to justice, in particular through the principle of mutual recognition of judicial and extrajudicial decisions in civil matters." xenophobia, in English anyway is defined as: " hatred or fear of foreighners or strangers or their politics or cultures". What measures is the EU to take to prevent or combat my fear if I suspect a strange looking character on my bus or train might be carrying a bomb? Am I being xenophobic if nothing blows up - on the other hand am I still to be considered guilty of this thought crime if the bus blows up after I get off and I then reveal my earlier fears? Does society really want 'Thought Police'?

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