Guardian investigation in Anti-Terror powers

On a recent weekend trip going through airport security in Glasgow both my brother and I were independently of one another stopped and put through a thorough search for weapons and explosives’ respectively.

It is therefore not surprising to read about the recent figures that indicate that Stop and Search powers under Terrorist Act are used 42 times more on Asian people than white people and that Schedule 7 of the Act is the most used. The piece in the Guardian by Vikram Dodd states:

‘‘The calculation that 42 times as many Asians are stopped as white people is based on comparing the percentage of Asians in the UK population to the percentage of those stopped under schedule 7. Ethnic breakdowns for those entering and exiting the UK are not available.

The disproportionally faced by ethnic minorities is at its most pronounced where a person is stopped and questioned for over an hour. White people make up 19% of stops, Asian people 41%, black people 10% and others (including Middle Eastern and Chinese) 30%.

One of those stopped, Asif Ahmed, 28, said he was asked to spy after landing at Edinburgh airport.

He said he was separated from his wife and taken to a room and told he must answer questions about his beliefs and faith. "They asked if I would like to work with special branch, to keep an eye on the Muslim community in Edinburgh. They asked me three times. They said do it covertly."’’

Although there is an inevitability that people will be stopped in these times of heightened security many including OBV have constantly advised that these stops and searches should be intelligence led. The sheer breadth of powers under Schedule 7 and the loss of liberty that Asians are disproportionally encountering are greatly worrying.