UK plans to ban hate-mongers

Britain on Wednesday unveiled criteria to bar foreigners it believes inspire terrorism, as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremism after l...

Britain on Wednesday unveiled criteria to bar foreigners it believes inspire terrorism, as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremism after last month’s London attacks.

Publishing a list of ‘‘unacceptable behaviours’’ which would prompt deportation or a ban on entry, Interior Minister Charles Clarke said, ‘‘The terrorist threat facing the UK remains real and significant, and it is right that the government and law enforcement agencies do everything possible to counter it.’’

The list of activities, which covers any non-UK citizen in Britain or abroad, includes expressing views which foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence, and seeking to provoke others to terrorist acts.

London mayor Ken Livingstone said he would apply a so-called ‘‘Nelson Mandela test’’ to evaluate the measures. Had they been in place 20 years ago, Livingstone asked, ‘‘(W)ould the supporters of Nelson Mandela have been thrown out of this country because they were supporting the bombing campaign against the apartheid racist regime in South Africa?’’ If so, the list should not be approved, he said on BBC television.

As part of a string of new anti-terrorism measures, the government is also seeking agreements like the one it struck with Jordan, allowing British courts to deport Jordanians seen as a menace.

Britain has also proposed that leader’s of the UN Security Council meet during September’s summit to discuss punishing those who incite terrorism. Such a meeting is extremely rare as, normally, national ambassadors to the UN sit in the Council.