Rising support for the British National party (BNP) has not dented widespread commitment among Britons to civil liberties, a poll out today shows.
According to pollsters ComRes, who conducted research for civil liberties group Liberty, the Labour government’s Human Rights Act receives backing from 97 per cent as a law ‘that protects rights and freedoms in the UK’.
Ninety-five per cent of respondents said they viewed the right to a fair trial and respect for privacy for family life and the home as either vital or important.
Eighty-nine per cent said the same about the right not to be tortured or degraded, while over three-quarters said they viewed the right not to be detained without reason as vital or important.
“This poll will be depressing reading for the cocky far right and others opposed to human rights in Britain,” Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti said.
“Despite headlines about ‘waterboarding’ and punishment without trial, our common values still run extremely deep and the contents of the Human Rights Act are valued by the overwhelming majority of people.”
Today is the anniversary of Magna Carta, a key document in Britain’s constitution.
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