The police are using anti-terror legislation against KCL professors
They used it to seize video material from lecturers
Anti-terror legislation has been used against KCL professors after they refused to hand over video footage.
Police used the Terrorism Act to seize a media device from the King’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.
They turned to the controversial act after King’s refused to hand over the material willingly.
KCL’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation is extremely well respected for its ever-expanding database on Western Jihadis, with various clips of interviews and videos on offer for analysis.
But after King’s refused to hand over a video used specifically for research and the study of radicalisation, officers from the South East Counter Terrorism Unit successfully used the 2000 Terrorism Act to obtain the material.
Freedom of speech campaigners have raised concerns over the police’s misuse of the Terrorism Act, and the effect this may have on the media’s ability to report on radical terrorists.
Meanwhile, the potential implications for academic freedom have also caused controversy.
In a statement reported in The Independent, the University said: “King’s College London were contacted by the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command (SO15) earlier this year in relation to material stored within the database at the ICSR.
“Police requested the release of one video, self published by fighters in Syria, which ICSR had captured from publicly available open source social media platforms. The video was later deleted from the platform.
“This request was denied by King’s, on the grounds that it could have been obtained directly from the platform provider.
“In July, the police were then granted a court order under the terrorism act, compelling King’s to release this video.
“No request has ever been made of ICSR to access private communications between them and individuals in Syria or elsewhere.”
Politics, Philosophy and Law second year Nicolas Schuscheim’s was frustrated by the police’s actions.
Speaking to The Tab, he said: “It’s no surprise that the government wants to scrap the Human Rights Act if its police force is continually breaching the right to privacy detailed in Article 8 of the act – which states that respect should be shown to ‘one’s private and family life, his home and correspondence’.”
Meanwhile, English and Linguistics 2nd year student Jakob Watemborski simply said: “That’s kinda mad, you know.”