Greens accuse Theresa May of ‘letting the terrorists win’

7 June 2017

*Co-leader Jonathan Bartley: “Sacrificing our human rights in the name of fighting terrorism is exactly what terrorists want”

The Green Party has condemned Theresa May’s comments on human rights laws [1] and accused her of playing into terrorists’ hands by threatening civil liberties.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, will today speak at the party’s final rally ahead of the election [2] and call May’s threat to human rights a disgrace.

Bartley said:

“Sacrificing our human rights in the name of fighting terrorism is exactly what terrorists want. May is exploiting people’s fear to do away with hard-won protections that don’t suit her regressive agenda. There is no shortage of laws designed to clamp down on terrorism and responsibility for the failure to use these lies with the Government. There's no point building more and more walls if we end up boxing ourselves in.

“If May throws away our freedoms she is letting the terrorists win. Proposing to tear up human rights laws is a knee jerk reaction and could be dangerously counterproductive. We can tackle terrorism without impinging on human rights but we need an honest conversation about the causes of terrorism and to ask some hard questions about the impact of UK foreign policy and police cuts.

“I’m calling on people across the UK to vote with their hearts for the kind of country they want. The Green Party stands for a confident and caring country, and we’ll always stand up for human rights and fight for an inclusive, tolerant society with a positive vision for the future.”

Notes

  1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40181444
  2. Jonathan Bartley will join Molly Scott Cato, Bristol West candidate, and Green Party activists for a rally at 2pm in front of the party’s mobile billboard at College Green, Bristol BS1 5TA.

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