Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 - Essay Example Nevertheless, the uncertainty of what constitutes terrorism under international law has manifested at national level with difficulty in distinguishing between state and non-state terrorism (Williamson, 2009). In considering whether the acts in the current scenario constitute acts of terrorism, this paper will consider the position under UK law, with specific reference to the Terrorism Act 2000. Section 1(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that an act of â€Å"terrorism† includes any act that includes the following â€Å"(a) involves serious violence against a person, (b) involves serious damage to a property, (c) endangers a person’s life, other than that of a person committing the action; (d) creates a serious risk to the health and safety of the public or a section of the public, or (e) is designed to seriously interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system† (Section 1(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000). ... o, the group of individuals are part of â€Å"Abort Abortion† and whilst they are not listed as a proscribed organisation under Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the individual acts may nevertheless constitute acts of terrorism under section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and this paper shall consider each act in turn. 2 Alison’s liability for sending photos of aborted foetuses to the doctors who have been previously targeted. Alison’s campaign of sending the photos to the doctors whilst unpleasant hasn’t caused serious damage to person or property and it will difficult for this conduct to fall within the other sections of section 1(2) to constitute an act of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. Additionally, the photos have been sent merely as a reminder of the horrors of abortion, with no specific threat. However, it is possible that Alison could face liability for harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Section 1(1) of the Protecti on from Harassment Act 1997 provides that individuals must not engage in conduct which: a) Amounts to harassment of another; and b) Which they know or ought to objectively know constitutes harassment (Section 1(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997). The test for determining harassment is objective and Section 2(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 provides that if an individual’s act constitutes harassment in line with the section 1(1) definition, the conduct will constitute a criminal offence. If we apply this by analogy to the current scenario, it is evident that the photos have been sent to the doctors before and that they have been targeted. The images are disturbing and as the photos have been sent repeatedly, there are strong grounds for Alison’s conduct constituting harassment under