Thoughtcriminals

The Met has launched a new campaign. To raise awareness (is it still possible to raise even more than it is???) of suspect terrorist activities within "our" communities.

With all the talk of ID cards and now this, it's not surprising one might start feeling like Winston Smith.

Some aspects of this campaign that caught my eye:

"If you're suspicious of the number of mobile telephones someone has, we need to know."

"Thousands of people take photos every day. What if one of them seems odd?"

"You see hundreds of houses every day. What if one has unusual activity and seems suspicious? Terrorists live within our communities, planning attacks and storing chemicals. If you're suspicious of a property where there's unusual activity that doesn't fit normal day-to-day life,we need to know."

It all strikes me as an odd campaign and odd things to proclaim.

Rather than instilling confidence it's more likely to foment fear and distrust.

Terrorists don't live within our communities. A few freaks maybe, but actually terrorists live, as we all know, in other parts of the world... right?

The thing is I'm the first to think some acts, like that of the "Lyrical Terrorist" are tantamount to something slightly beyond the simple incitement to hate and should be tackled.

But somehow this campaign reminds me of the paranoia surrounding the smiley faces at Cann Hall Primary School. It appeals to the same sick, perverted minds that have nothing else to do but give vent to their petty minds; and the only thing it achieves is appeasing precisely the same people.

Like the parents who said they supported the idea of blurring their kids' faces on the pictures shown online.

Which cancels out the whole point of having photographs in the first place.

Fear for the sake of fear.

But, again, I think some people are just extremely bored.