Liberty responds to Boris Johnson citizenship stripping statement

Liberty has responded to Boris Johnson’s statement at the Nato summit that people who go to fight in Syria “abdicate their rights” to British citizenship.

In a press conference today (Wednesday 4 December) Johnson said: “If people go to fight in Syria they are putting themselves beyond UK law, they are breaking UK law and they abdicate their rights to citizenship of this country.”

Grey Collier, Liberty advocacy director, said:

“Banishing people belongs in the dark ages – not 21st century Britain. The Government has many powers at its disposal, including criminal law, which it can and should use to deal with those suspected of terrorism.

“Citizenship stripping is the act of a Government shirking its responsibilities. The growing use of draconian, executive powers to deal with suspected criminality only serves to make us all less safe in the long run.”