Italy’s government in bid to make illegal immigration a crime
[earthtimes.org] Rome – Italy’s conservative government won approval Wednesday in the lower house of parliament for measures making illegal immigration a punishable offence, and allowing mayors to form civilian anti-crime patrols in towns and cities. A provision to triple the time illegal immigrants can be detained in holding centres, also forms part of the security […]
We’re not the only ones to stifle dissent
Police tactics at the G20 demonstrations reflect an Europe–wide trend to conflate terrorism and protest as equal threats to security [guardian.co.uk] The death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protest adds another name to the sad list of those who have died as a result of police tactics at protests. In 1974, Kevin Gateley died […]
Border security – Measures not justified by data
From the Predator drone circling invisibly overhead to the customs agent at the crossing, Northern New Yorkers are being watched more closely than ever before as they cross the border to and from Canada. [watertowndailytimes.com] Agents monitoring the unmanned drone flying out of North Dakota will keep a watchful eye on hundreds and hundreds of […]
Drones: America’s new Air Force
Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that. [news.cnet.com] Most people know them as drones; the Air Force calls them unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. And right now, […]
Italy does not want to become ‚multi-ethnic‘ says Silvio Berlusconi
Italy does not want to become a "multi-ethnic" country and will continue its newly adopted policy of sending boatloads of immigrants and asylum seekers back to North Africa, the prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said. By Nick Squires in Rome [telegraph.co.uk] Previous Left-wing governments had "opened the doors to clandestine migrants coming from other countries, […]
French police arrest 150 migrants aiming for Kent
A Kent Conservative MEP has welcomed action by French police who appear to be clamping down in the hoards of migrants looking to sneak into the UK through the county’s ports. [kentnews.co.uk] Richard Ashworth said he applauded the efforts of 300 French police who this morning arrested 150 migrants from makeshift camps located around Calais. […]
Italy ships 200 rescued migrants back to Libya
[news.yahoo.com] ROME – Italy returned more than 200 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea to Libya on Thursday, defying the United Nations refugee agency but claiming a major victory in its crackdown on illegal immigration. The 227 migrants were brought back to Tripoli aboard two coast guard boats and a border police boat without having […]
Refugee group demands closure of detention centre in Mauritania
[earthtimes.org] Madrid – A Spanish refugee support organization on Thursday called for the closure of a detention centre for undocumented immigrants in Mauritania, describing it as a "little Guantanamo."The centre was founded in a former school near Nouadhibou in 2006 with Spanish funding. It houses would-be migrants who have been arrested when attempting to reach […]
Presentation of 45 Security projects
[ec.europa.eu] Under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) 2007-2013, the European Commission has made EUR 1.4 billion specifically available for Security Research. Following a first call for proposals in 2007 – FP7-SEC-2007-1 and a coordinated call with the ICT theme – FP7-ICT-SEC-2007-1, a total of 45 projects are on-going. The following brochure presents an […]
Reclaim your DNA from the UK database
[edri.org] A coallition of Human rights groups in UK has launched "Reclaim your DNA" website that helps innocent people contact the police to seek destruction of their DNA and database records. Five months after the European Court of Human Rights decision in the case Marper vs UK, no bill has been introduced in the Parliament […]
Italian Pirate Bay Trial in the Making
Ernesto, from Torrent Freak Following the Swedish verdict, Italy is now considering starting its own trial against the people involved with The Pirate Bay. This would be the first criminal prosecution against the Pirate Bay ‘founders’ outside their home country. [info.interactivist.net] During August last year, The Pirate Bay was “censored” in Italy when ISPs were […]
French spies targeted UK Greenpeace
Matthew Campbell and Chris Gourlay THE French energy giant EDF hired private investigators to spy on Greenpeace in Britain as the company was seeking to build the next generation of UK nuclear power stations. [business.timesonline.co.uk] Inquiries by The Sunday Times have revealed how private detectives hacked into computer systems at a time when the environmental […]
France and Spain set up joint body to fight terrorism
by Nadege Puljak Nadege Puljak [news.yahoo.com] France and Spain signed a deal Tuesday to set up a joint security committee to fight terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, the two countries announced following a bilateral summit. The deal will allow Paris and Madrid "to make a leap forward on security," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis […]
Analysis of terrorist legislation, evolution and practices of penal agencies
[libertysecurity.org] The Spanish concept of terrorism has evolved in a quite particular meaning. The identification of ETA (Basque Liberation Army) as the internal enemy has concentrated the use of every antiterrorist law and criminal justice agencies addressed to call a halt its activities. A number of criminal and procedural rules, police and prison regulations have […]
France to send army in as mayor of Calais demands UK open its doors to migrants
By Peter Allen The French government today vowed to clear Calais of the shanty town of illegal immigrants waiting to cross to the UK. [dailymail.co.uk] Immigration minister Eric Besson told the town’s business leaders he would order the removal of a squatter camp which evolved after the closure of a French Red Cross reception centre […]
Report: Police Logics and Intelligence Lead Logics in a Risk Society. Information sharing and borders: the role and limits of Frontex
Introduction – Liberty, security and EU borders. [libertysecurity.org] Borders lie at the heart of the European project. Historically, the European political project has been underpinned by a discourse on the necessary liberalisation of movement, on the freedom of individuals to move across borders as a way to overcome chauvinist trends in European national politics and […]
Greek authorities detained 146,000 migrants in 2008
[earthtimes.org] Athens – Authorities in Greece detained 146,000 illegal immigrants, most of whome came from Turkey, altogether in 2008, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. In addition, 2,211 people traffickers were arrested and brought before the courts. The issue of illegal immigration is a priority for Greece, according to the Foreign Ministry in Athens. Foreign Minister […]
German police to share experience with Belarusian riot militia
The Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany offered the Belarusian militia to study their experience of providing security during the mass events. [charter97.org] “Issues on training militia officers in public security in the Federal Republic of Germany will be discussed during a visit of the delegation of the German Interior Ministry to Minsk,” Interfax […]
UK: Anti-terrorism strategy updated
[libertysecurity.org] The British government has introduced an updated version of its counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. In CONTEST 2, there is a stronger focus on training civilians, such as shop and hotel owners, to intervene in case of a terrorist threat. This might not be an actual attack but any act that undermines the belief in democracy, […]
Italy: Police carry out anti-terror raids across country
[adnkronos.com] Rome, 2 April (AKI) – Twenty-six foreigners suspected of links to international terrorism as well as aiding and abetting illegal immigration are being investigated by Italian police, after raids carried out on Thursday in various Italian cities. The raids were carried out in properties around the northern cities of Vicenza, Venice, Padova, Brescia, Como, […]