[statewatch News Online, 4 December 2008] EU: "CHECK THE WEB" PROJECT which looks for
terrorist websites with the object of closing
them down: From "terrorism" to "Islamist
propaganda from moderate Islamist websites":
Draft Council conclusions on the continuation of
work on combating terrorism (EU doc no: 15684/08, dated 14 November 2008)
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/nov/eu-council-conclusions-combating-terrorism-15684-08.pdf
These Conclusions say there is a need:
"to combat the use of the Internet for terrorist
purposes, and in particular to participate in the
European "Check the Web" project, inter alia on
subjects such as "Islamist propaganda from
moderate Islamist websites"" (emphasis added)
But see: EU: Revised EU Strategy for Combating
Radicalisation and Recruitment to Terrorism (EU
doc no: 15175/08, dated 14 November 2008):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/nov/eu-council-r-and-r-revised-15175-08.pdf
which says that factors leading to
"radicalisation" include: "unresolved
international and domestic strife" (as before
there is no mention of Palestine, Iraq or
Afghanistan). The Strategy report goes on to say that:
"We need to empower mainstream voices by stepping
up the dialogue with political, religious and
separatist groups which favour moderation and exclude recourse to violence."
Presumably "mainstream voices" that "favour
moderation" include "moderate Islamist websites"?
Or does "moderate" only extend to websites
categorised by EU police and internal security
agencies as not carrying "Islamist propaganda"?
Background: Most documents on the EU’s "Check the
Web" project are pretty bland or censored, see:
Conclusions of the Kick-off conference "Check the
Web" – Berlin, 26-27 September 2006 (EU doc: 13930/08, dated 10 November 2008):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/nov/eu-check-the-web-kick-off-conference-conclusions-13930-08.pdf
Source: statewatchNews Online, 4 December 2008 (22/08): Part 1
