This Morning viewers HAIL Colonel Richard Kemp for UK Guantanamo Bay proposal
AUDIENCES watching This Morning have praised guest Colonel Richard Kemp for calling for more stringent methods of dealing with terror suspects, similar to the controversial detention centre Guantanamo Bay.
Colonel Richard Kemp appears on This Morning
Colonel Kemp claims UK needs its own Guantanamo Bay
The retired British Army officer was on the ITV programme to talk about greater security measures in light of the terror attacks that rocked London at the weekend.
Many people watching This Morning took to social media to praise the military man as one person wrote: “I'm with Colonel Richard Kemp. He knows what he's talking about! The woman sitting next to him on the other hand.... #ThisMorning.”
Another tweeted: “#ThisMorning at last someone talking sense! Colonel Kemp is totally correct. Harsh steps need to be taken to eradicate UK of extremists!”
“Our government needs to act now. We are at war. Drastic measures are needed to stamp out these jihadists #DeportOrDetain #thismorning,” a third added.
However, there were others who heavily disagreed with the proposals which would curtail civil liberties further.
“Who was the guest suggesting detention & deportation without trial on @ITV #ThisMorning ? Are we REALLY giving these ideas the time of day?” posted an audience member.
A second disgruntled viewer said: “I must have missed the last 16yrs wasn't the war on terror started in 01 how much more toughness do we have to get #thismorning.”(sic)
While a third posted: “Just astonishing to hear people talk about internment on #ThisMorning. ' Stupid is as stupid does' comes to mind.”
Col. Kemp, 58, explained to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “Some of the things I’m proposing now, Tony Blair and other senior officials were discussing in the immediate aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, when I was a part of the COBRA Committee.
Colonel Richard Kemp appears on This Morning
We’re going to have to invent our own Guantanamo Bay?
“So all this sounds pretty drastic, it’s not my own thinking. This is the thinking that government officials have been taking part in for a long time.
“The reality is - Theresa May said it: ‘The measures we use so far don’t work’. We haven’t just had three terror attack plans in the last seven or eight weeks directed against us, we’ve had eight. Five of which were thwarted by the security services, three unfortunately succeeded.
“It shows the intensity of attack we’re under and it’s going to get worse as we bring back more terrorists who have been fighting with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.”
Colonel Richard Kemp calls for stricter security measures
He went on to say: “My proposals is that we reduce the number of targets the security services need to worry about. There’s no way of doing that except by one: Throwing them out of this country, all of those non-British terrorists, who the intelligence services say are linked to extremism. Two: Preventing the return of those fighting with Islamic State or have been involved in other Jihadist activities overseas. Three: Thinking of controlling in some way British citizens who can’t be deported and can’t be convicted in court - whether that is dentition without trial.”
It was then that presenter Willoughby, 36, interjected as she asked about a similar policy implemented in 1971 of Irish Republican Army (IRA) suspects that in fact had the opposite effect and led to a boost in those joining the organisation.
“Why would it work this time?” she asked him, leading him to explain that the intelligence was out of date and that the prisoners were mistreated during their time in captivity.
“We wouldn’t have to do it the same way as we did in in 1971,” the colonel said.
Colonel Richard Kemp appears on This Morning
Schofield, 55, went on to grill him further: “You’ll deport some and arrest others without trial. Where are they going to go? We’re going to have to invent our own Guantanamo Bay?”
“Well, we’ve got to have something like that. Yes, is the answer,” he said. Col. Kemp explained that President Barack Obama had vowed to close down the controversial prison but had failed to do so during his eight years in office because there was no other option.
When asked whether his proposals were something that reflected the government’s security policy, he said: “It’s what I’m talking about. I don’t know, I don’t suspect it’s what Theresa May’s talking about.
“I don’t think these are measures that the government or any politician is ready to take yet. They will be in the future because this situation is not going to improve.”
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV at 10.3oam.