Belmarsh hysteria shadows real issue

WHILE sympathising with many of the legal concerns of the Belmarsh detainees and their families, I must part company with the campaign. If Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty actually stated that "she was ashamed to be British," then her judgment is very poor.

Internment has existed since the Defence of the Realm Act 1936. I am sorry, but Belmarsh prison is not a concentration camp as the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CACC) has described it. Quite apart from the unfortunate use of that phrase, the inmates are free to leave and two have done so.

If Gareth Peirce and Estella Schmidt want to know the factual difference between Belmarsh and a concentration camp, I will explain it - or perhaps I should leave that to Jewish members of Liberty council whose silence has been astonishing.

Their overstated demands and hysterical sloganeering is undermining the very serious and important legal arguments which need to be made.

There is also the issue of hypocrisy. Many of those who have been demonstrating chose to wilfully ignore abuses in countries whose governments they supported.

But human rights are indivisible and have to be upheld regardless of our views of the government in question.

They have never criticised actual terrorist groups which have never respected any human rights.

I am afaid that CACC and their allies are showing rank incompetence and immaturity in their actions.

LIBBY TABARD London E5