Thursday, June 26, 2008

Luke Akehurst blog comments cause a storm in Hackney

I just happened to spot the front page of the Hackney Gazette the other day. Their lead story is this:

TERROR BILL COMMENT OUTRAGE

A Hackney councillor has provoked outrage after suggesting a victim of a terrorist attack should support the Counter Terrorism Bill. Chatham ward Labour councillor, Luke Akehurst, wrote the comment on his blog after Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, resigned as an MP over government plans to extend the time suspects can be held in custody from 28 to 42 days.

...Cllr Akehurst suggests that the Labour party should "Find a Martin Bell type candidate - preferably a recently retired senior police officer, or a survivor or relative of a victim of a terrorist attack, to run under the candidate description: 'Independent - for detaining terrorism suspects'". Hackney Conservatives branded Mr Akehurst as "sick" in his "wish to exploit victims of the 2005 terrorist bombing in London." One of the survivors of the attack, Rachel North of Finsbury Park, responded to Mr Akehurst's blog, saying the suggestions had upset her.

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