By James Boakes English 8 Grade 8 summit

Terrorism in the United Kingdom

Terrorism and the War on Terror in the United Kingdom hold many threats to the government and the public. Terrorism in Great Britain has a long history going all the way back to the fifth of November 1605, when Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The War on Terror violates many Human Rights however terrorists or suspected terrorists have rights as do the general public. Finally the military must stay vigilant to make sure terrorists do not take advantage of one of the busiest summers that the UK has ever witnessed. Terrorism in the United Kingdom poses a significant threat to the entire country due its long history of violence, the violation of human rights, and the potential future attacks that it holds.

Terrorism has existed in the United Kingdom for many, many years and will likely continue. On the fifth of November 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament to remove King James I and replace him with a Catholic monarch. This attack was the main influence on the first ever terrorists. Another example of the long history of terrorism is the Irish Republican Army. This terrorist group was aimed at the British government. They wanted Northern Ireland to be Catholic, not Protestant however the government refused and this lead to many devastating attacks. For many years, citizens of London lived in fear due to random bombings across the city (Moloney). Many lives were lost in the existing years of the IRA. The most recent major attack also happened in London. The London bombings on the seventh of July 2005 injured over seven-hundred people and killed fiftytwo. The Islamists in charge of this act of terror all died in this suicide attack. In total four bombs were detonated, three on tubes in the London-Underground and one aboard a double decker bus. The attacks were followed two weeks later by another attempted set of explosions; however the bombs did not go off (7th July Bombings). The United Kingdom has one of the longest histories of terrorism in the world but because of the War on Terror, terrorism is starting to decrease. One reason for this is that the government is breaking human rights and going to more extreme limits to find terrorists.

Human Rights are relevant to both the victims and the aggressors. Terrorists or suspected terrorists have rights as do the general public. The concept of Human Rights was established in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whom created the Recognition of the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all members of the human family (Zalman). The most basic right of the human family, to live in peace and security, is violated when an act of terror takes place. The suspected terrorist of an attack also has human rights though. Many countries were shocked after the 9-11 attacks and did not want such a horrible terrorist attack to ever happen again. 9-11 is the reason for the start of the War on Terror. The rapid development of counter-terrorism ensured that the government would do anything to make sure that terrorists were caught; this started in America but has influenced many countries. For example if the government is suspicious of someone being a terrorist they would instantly arrest this person even if they didnt have any information. The government would hold this person for as long as they want and may even subject to torture, the government would do this until they are sure of the persons status. This example alone violated fourteen human rights. The counter argument to this is that a terrorist attack also violates human rights. Many innocent lives are lost in an act of terror and this is why the government have gone to such extreme measures to ensure that acts of terror are very rare (Zalman). Both terrorists and the government violate human rights however the government must find the right balance between how strict they are on terrorism, otherwise it is possible that they will interfere with the lives of innocent people. There is a possibility of this happening due to 2012 being an important year in Britain.

With an extremely active summer coming up for the United Kingdom, there are many high profile opportunities for terrorist attacks. There are worldwide events going on such as the Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee and Wimbledon. These three worldwide events are all prime events for terrorist attacks. I think that there is a possibility for terrorist attacks at the Olympic Games. The Olympics have been targeted many times by terrorists during the one hundred and twelve year period that it has existed (Abrahams/ Young). Sometimes terrorist attacks take place, for example in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, when sixteen Chinese police officers died after a terrorist attack (Foster/ Spencer). However the British military are making sure that nothing on a lower or higher scale takes place this year. 2012 is also the

year of the Diamond Jubilee which is the Queens sixtieth year on the throne. There will be celebrations the whole week but the main attraction will be the flotilla on the River Thames. The Queen will lead the flotilla on a barge which has been specially prepared for her and will be joined by William and Kate (The Diamond Jubilee). The police will have to guard both river banks which terrorists could take advantage of. If there was an act of terror it would be shocking and horrific. Wimbledon is the only tennis grand slam in the United Kingdom and is watched by millions worldwide. This is an opportunity for an act of terror. The worlds greatest tennis players travel from far and wide to compete in the only grass court grand slam tournament in the world. This tournament is hard to police and another opportunity for a terrorist attacks.

The long history of violence, the violation of human rights, and the potential future attacks that terrorism holds in the United Kingdom ensures that it poses a significant threat to the entire country. Terrorism in the United Kingdom is a global issue and it must be kept under control. If it is not under control and terrorism is taking hold of the streets of the UK, other terrorists will be influenced by the success that terrorists in Great Britain are having and the idea of terrorism will continue to spread. As you can see the changing face of terror is ever present in the United Kingdom and for that reason the government must always remain vigilant.

Works Cited Page

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