Don't laugh: UK government wants to get 'real tough' on hate-preachers

Preachers of hate who have been banned from the UK will be refused entry to the country forever unless they make a public renunciation saying they no longer preach violent extremism, the Government will announce today. Jacqui Smith will tell MPs that foreigners could be banned from the country forever unless they can persuade the Government they are no longer preaching hate. (Too easy: Muslims are religiously obliged to lie to infidels and to deceive them, not a problem!/ed)

* In other news: Couple’s terror trial begins

The moves will affect Islamic exremists and others, including neo-Nazis and animal rights activists.

A total of 230 people have been excluded from entering the country since August 2005 on suspicion that they are a threat to national security or foster and promote extremism.

Among those barred from coming into the UK are 79 individuals, including preachers of hate, barred for “unacceptable” behaviours.

Ms Smith will tell MPs: “I am determined to stop those who foster, encourage or spread extremism and hatred through preaching violent messages in our communities from coming to the UK.

“These tough new measures will clamp down on those people intent on stirring up tensions by encouraging violence and hatred in our country by preventing them entering the UK.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege and I don’t want to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life.”

The changing of the rules on foreigners who have been barred will give the Home Office the right to publicly identify, or ‘name and shame,’ those it has decided should not enter the country.

In the past, people banned from the country, including hate-preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed and American Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, only became known about when they spoke out against their ban.

Those who are named will also be put on international “watch lists” enabling them to be stopped from entering other countries.

Mr Farrakhan has been barred for over 20 years for expressing racist and anti-Semitic views.

Self-styled “sheikh” Omar Bakri Mohammed, banned in 2005 after flying to his native Lebanon, ran the al-Muhajiroun group from north London.

Under the new rules, the Home Secretary will consider in all future cases whether it would be in the national interest to reveal publicly that an individual has been excluded.

Their activities in preaching hate will be outlined and passed to immigration authorities to ensure that any future visa application is considered with full regard to their past behaviour.

Individuals who have been banned will have to show they no longer preach hate and have repudiated their previous views if they are ever to be allowed to enter Britain.

The onus of proof will be on banned individuals to demonstrate they have repudiated their previous extremist views or actions and that they will be expected to do so publicly.

Update:

U.K.: Only one Islamic “preacher of hate” deported in past 3 years

Meanwhile, Abu Qatada lives, eats, and shops on the government dole. That’ll show ’em. “Just one ‘preacher of hate’ deported in last three years,” by Andrew Porter and Caroline Gammell for the Telegraph, October 28:

Ministers unveiled a 12 point plan to crack down on fanatics in the wake of the 7/7 bombings.

But three years on it been revealed that only one person has been deported from Britain, in 2006, for “fomenting extremism.” Only two people have been stripped of UK citizenship as part of measures promised by Tony Blair.

In addition only nine people have been deported on “national security grounds” since 2005.

The figures – published in Home Office answers to questions from Tory MP James Clappison – came as Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, attempted to launch a new push designed to stop fanatics entering Britain.

Her efforts were attacked by Mr Clappison, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. He said it amounted to little more than a re-announcement and admission of failure.

He said: “The Government has been promising to draw up a list of preachers to be excluded since 2005 and failed to do so. They are treating the public with contempt by failing to deliver on a number of points in its 12-point plan.

“The Government’s implementation of what was supposed to be a proper clamping down on serious threats to this country has been feeble. They have a woeful record on these matters.”

Deporting preachers of hate living in Britain was a key element in a 12-point-plan announced by Tony Blair in August 2005 after the terrorist attacks in London. He said the measures would see foreigners deported or barred from entering Britain for justifying terrorism and encouraging hatred between communities.

The Home Office published a list of “unacceptable behaviour” which was part of an attempt to deal with radical clerics. Three years on Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, yesterday attempted to launch a renewed push to stop extremists entering Britain.

Miss Smith yesterday said that 230 people have been barred from entering the UK – 79 of them religious extremists.

She said in the future, the names of all those barred from Britain will be shared with other countries, as well as community groups and leaders in the UK.

Speculation that the Government would “name and shame” yesterday (tues) all those already on the list proved unfounded and led to the accusation that the announcement was little more than a “tawdry gimmick”.

A Home Office spokeswoman said names would not be drip-fed to the public, but revealed if there was genuine public interest.

“These new rules will make it easier to exclude those who want to come to the UK to stir up religious or racial hatred – our presumption will be to keep people involved in these behaviours out of our country.

“For the first time we will name and shame preachers of hate and share our exclusions list with other countries to help them decide who should be excluded from their countries.”

Alleged extremists will have to prove their innocence under rules designed to target radical Islamists, neo-Nazis and violent animal rights activists. Currently the burden of proof rests with the Government.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “Through these tough new measures I will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege and I refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life.”

Among those already banned are Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, who ran the radical group Al-Muhajiroun, and Abdullah al-Faisal, a Mulsim [sic] preacher who influenced July 7 bomber Germaine Lindsay.