Friday - August 05, 2005

Tony Blair Gets Tough

Altogether now, repeat after me: IT’S ABOUT TIME! Tony Blair just announced new measures to crack down on crackpot clerics preaching Islamic hatred and new deportation rules for Britain ....

LONDON, England (CNN)—British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced new measures to deport and exclude from UK for those advocating hatred and violence. Blair, speaking nearly a month after deadly bombings on London’s transit system, said Friday the UK’s human rights act would be amended if necessary to counter Islamic extremists. The government also plans to draw up a list of extremist Web sites, book shops and organizations that promote these extremists, he said.

“Let no one be in any doubt that the rules of the game are changing,” Blair told a London news conference, his last before breaking for a summer holiday. The prime minister said the Government plans a one-month consultation period to determine new criteria for excluding and deporting people from Britain.

“We will establish, with the Muslim community, a commission to advise on how, consistent with people’s complete freedom to worship in the way they want, and to follow their own religion and culture, there is better integration of those parts of the community presently inadequately integrated,” Blair said.

Blair said new legislation, which is expected to be passed by the end of the year, will also outlaw “indirect incitement” of terrorism. The measure is seen as an effort to crack down on extremist Islamic clerics who glorify acts of terrorism. In addition, the law would ban the training of terrorist techniques in Britain or in any other country.

“This is not, in any way whatever, aimed at the decent law-abiding Muslim community of Britain,” Blair said. “But if you come to this country from abroad, then don’t meddle in extremism,” he said. “Because if you meddle in it, and engage in it, you’re going back out again.”

Blair named two radical Islamic groups that would be banned from operating in Britain—Hizb ut-Tahrir and the successor organization to al Muhajiroun. Later, a spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir said the ban would stifle “legitimate political dissent.” “There will be serious repercussions in terms of community relations if this ban goes ahead,” Imran Waheed told the UK’s Press Association. “We have a lot of support among the Muslim community in Britain and it will be seen by the Muslim community as stifling legitimate political dissent.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 08/05/2005 at 10:37 AM   
Filed Under: • International • Terrorists •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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