Clarke reveals deportation criteria
Home secretary Charles Clarke has unveiled a list of “unacceptable behaviours” under which foreign nationals promoting terrorism can be deported from the UK.
The measures, drawn up in the aftermath of the July 7th London bombings, are designed to make clear that those who express views that stir up, justify or glorify terrorist violence, will be deported.
The list, which is “indicative rather than exhaustive”, particularly targets those who promote terrorism through written materials, public speaking, running a website, or by abusing a position of responsibility such as teacher, community or youth leader.
“Individuals who seek to create fear, distrust and division in order to stir up terrorist activity will not be tolerated by the government or by our communities,” said Mr Clarke.
“By publishing the list today I make it absolutely clear that these are unacceptable behaviours, and will be the grounds for deporting and excluding such individuals from the UK.”
Unacceptable behaviours specifically include expressing views that “foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs”, and “seek to provoke others to terrorist acts”.
Non UK citizens will also face deportation if they express views that “foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts”; or if they “foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK”.
Mr Clarke, who has spent the last two weeks consulting on the measures with leaders and members of faith communities, assured that the powers were “not intended to stifle free speech or legitimate debate about religions or other issues”.
“Britain is rightly proud of its openness and diversity and we must not allow those driven by extremism of any sort to destroy that tradition.”
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten broadly welcomed the move, so long as the individuals had a right to appeal and the case for deportation was reasonable.
He said: “It would have been unacceptable to deport people on the basis of a lack of general commitment to UK values or to remove the right of appeal, both ideas that were suggested by the prime minister.”
But James Welsh, legal director of Liberty, said the announcement failed to say whether suspects would be deported to countries with a known record of torture.
“What has always separated us from the terrorists is that we do not torture people or send them to be tortured – that is the standard we need to maintain,” he said.
“Our view is clear we believe it is better for terrorist suspects be tried than shuffled around the world. If they have to be deported then at the very least there must be corroboration and robust involvement from international human rights monitors.”
The home secretary is already planning to deport ten extremist clerics and supporters of terrorism, including Saudi dissident Mohamed al-Massari, and has banned Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed from returning to the UK from Lebanon.
