The Call for Tougher Anti-Terrorist Measures: A Difficult Balancing Act - People and Politics 24.09.2007

Since the recent swoop on terrorists in Germany and the discovery of a huge cache of explosive materials, the calls have been growing louder for tougher anti-terrorist measures. The German justice minister has put forward a bill calling for prison sentences of up to 10 years for people taking part in terrorist training camps in countries such as Afghanistan. The state interior ministers want to go even further. They are calling for the drumming up of support for terrorist organisations also to be made illegal. This was the case in Germany during the Red Army Faction era. But how do you define the boundaries between freedom of speech and crime?