Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2005
Publication Information
109 Penn St. L. Rev. 947 (2005)
Abstract
There is nothing new in the United Kingdom about either the threat of terrorism or a legal response to it. For almost one hundred and fifty years, the troubled spectre of Irish politics has haunted mainland Britain and produced a variety of reactions, some worth noting and others richly deserving oblivion. In surveying the legislation it is important to bear in mind that the events of September 11, 2001 did not immediately bring about any dramatic change in the legislation directed to anti-terrorism. Most of it was already there. Having said that, the events of 9/11 have certainly had an impact, including one statute, the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, that was passed as a direct response. The end result is that Britain has perhaps the most comprehensive legal framework to combat terrorism of any country in Europe.
Even a superficial survey of such a vast legal edifice would be a major undertaking. The more modest aim of this article is to comment on some of the themes and developments that may be of interest, or just seem curious, in the American context. The United Kingdom's experience provides a rich source of material both of what might usefully be turned to advantage elsewhere as well as providing object lessons in what is best avoided.
Recommended Citation
Geoffrey Bennett,
Legislative Responses to Terrorism: A View from Britain,
109 Penn St. L. Rev. 947 (2005).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/254
Comments
Reprinted with permission of the Penn State Law Review.