I Don't Get It

[poliphilo]

Last summer David Cameron was planning to intervene militarily on the side of the Syrian rebels. (Parliament stopped him, thank heavens.) Now- less than a year later- we're arresting young British citizens who- in a private capacity- went and did exactly what Cameron wanted.

Is there a precedent for criminalizing citizens who fight in foreign wars? I can't think of any.  It was never illegal to join the Foreign Legion- or any other mercenary outfit. And did any of the young men who went to Spain in the 30s- many of whom held "extremist" political views- get locked up on their return? I don't think so. 

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

'Is there a precedent for criminalizing citizens who fight in foreign wars'

The answer is yes. Treason laws are dodgy, twisty things and they still carry a death sentence too.

Ask those Belgians, Norwegians, Finns etc who fought with the Waffen SS............

And depending on how you define 'fought' ask William Joyce, aka Lord Haw Haw.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I'm talking about foreign wars- by which I mean wars in which the UK isn't directly involved. We're not involved in the Syrian civil war but we were at war with Germany when Joyce was broadcasting for the Nazis.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

The existing treason laws could still be made to work the same way- 'threat to national security' and all that.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I suppose that's what they're doing. Bastards.