Freedom of speech and thought

[indi]

UK 'least wanted' list published

 

 

The names of some of the people barred from entering the UK for fostering extremism or hatred have been published for the first time.

 

Islamic extremists, white supremacists and a US radio host are among the 16 of 22 excluded in the five months to March to have been named by the Home Office.

 

Since 2005, the UK has been able to ban people who promote hatred, terrorist violence or serious criminal activity.

 

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said coming to the UK should be a privilege.

 

Ms Smith said "the public interest was against naming" the remaining six, for example on the grounds it could reveal the type of information being held about them.

 

The Muslim Council of Britain says the government should not act against people - whatever their views - unless they have broken the law.

 

'Against our values'

 

However, Ms Smith said granting free speech did not provide a licence to preach hatred and that those banned had "clearly overstepped the mark" with the attitudes they had expressed.

 

 

"[Naming them] enables people to see the sorts of unacceptable behaviour we are not willing to have in this country.

 

"Coming to this country is a privilege. We won't allow people into this country who are going to propagate the sort of views... that fundamentally go against our values."

 

Ms Smith had announced in October the tightening of rules determining who could come to the UK.

 

A "presumption in favour of exclusion" was introduced that meant it would be up to the individual concerned to prove they would not "stir up tension" after arrival.

 

On the list of those banned between October and March are Hamas MP Yunis Al-Astal and Jewish extremist Mike Guzovsky.

 

Also excluded are two leaders of a violent Russian skinhead gang, ex-Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Stephen 'Don' Black and neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe.

 

 

Fred Waldron Phelps Snr, a 79-year-old American Baptist pastor, and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper are barred for their anti-gay comments.

 

Both have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and celebrated the deaths of US soldiers as "punishment" for US tolerance of homosexuality.

 

Talk show host Michael Savage - real name Michael Weiner - is also excluded. His views on immigration, Islam, rape and autism have caused great offence in America.

 

Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, told BBC Radio 5 Live that people should be free to enter the country, regardless of their views.

 

"If they step over the line and break the law, it's at that moment the law should be enacted, not beforehand.

 

"If people are keeping their odious views to themselves, that's their business. We should not be in the business of policing people's minds."

 

He added that internet broadcasts meant that speeches could be screened from abroad into UK meetings anyway.

 

In recent years, individuals from a range of backgrounds have been prevented from entering the UK.

 

They have included animal rights activists, rap singers such as Snoop Dogg and even a lifestyle "guru" - Martha Stewart.

 

She was kept out after being jailed in the US for lying to investigators about a share sale.

 

EXCLUSIONS

Abdullah Qadri Al Ahdal

Yunis Al Astal

Samir Al Quntar

Stephen Donald Black

Wadgy Abd El Hamied Mohamed Ghoneim

Erich Gliebe

Mike Guzovsky

Safwat Hijazi

Nasr Javed

Abdul Ali Musa

Fred Waldron Phelps Snr

Shirley Phelps-Roper

Artur Ryno

Amir Siddique

Pavel Skachevsky

Michael Alan Weiner

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8033060.stm

[indi]

Now I'll happily admit that I have a good laugh when someone like Fred Phelps or the Grand Dragon of the KKK get refused entry to the UK, because I think they're scum and their views are obnoxious in the extreme; I'm a human being after all and that's what we do, isn't it. However, it also worries me that we are excluding people who haven't committed a crime simply because we don't like what they've got to say or what they represent. Freedom of speech is an important right and should be protected and unfortunately that means allowing people whose views we detest the same right to say what they think no matter what that is.

 

Also, some of the names on that list are stupid; Martha Stewart!?! What's that all about? What threat does she represent to the UK? And that leads me onto my second point which is that a facility like this is open to abuse. We've all seen just how draconian and authoritarian this government likes to be if they can get away with it and personally I don't trust them with something like this. Why have they only published part of the list, who's on the rest of it, and why?

 

We all laughed - well, I did - when the US refused entry to Cat Stevens, but it seems like we're just as pathetic ourselves.

 

So what do you lot think?

 

Just to clear things up; actions are a different matter entirely, so if someone has a history of acting in a certain way then I have no problem with them not being allowed entry to the country.

[juniatmoko]

done right things.

 

indi ... i thought the martha stewart was like this....

 

"In recent years, individuals from a range of backgrounds have been prevented from entering the UK."

 

so i think... she wasn't connected to the article... she just banned for another reason... not for the article mentioned.

[Northerngimp]

Let them in and let them on TV  to make fools of themselves.

 

 

 

[Mowen]

I have to say I did wonder why Phelps was being banned from the country, as reprehensible as he is. Don't know enough about any of the other names to comment really.

[BlueStar]

People I recognise off there are Stephen Black, who's been a leader of the KKK, the American Nazi Party and runs Neo-Nazi site stormfront and Michael Alan Weiner, who hosts talk radio as Michael Savage and has such colourful viewpoints as homosexuals should all get AIDS and die, Muslims need to be deported, Americans should burn Mexican flags and that autism doesn't really exist and it's just kids being little shits and Yunis Al Astal who does the standard let's impose Islamic law on the world and has fantasies about taking Rome from the Catholics or something as I remember.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

This is a difficult one, I'm completely in favour of freedom of speech and thought, but on the other hand these people are not British citizens and so I don't see why we should be letting them in to spout their hateful views on our time.

 

We not only have freedom of speech in this country, but also a culture that should promote tolerance, freedom of lifestyle and all that.

 

That said, does seem a bit stupid to publish this list at all, all it has done is give these people publicity.

 

 

[NJS]

Let them in and laugh.

 

Having said that, banning Phelps but issuing guidelines allowing faith schools to "Phelp" homosexuality shows them up as hypocrites.

 

 

[themanupstairs]

 

May not be my place to comment as I'm not British and don't live in the Uk, but imo the current ailing govt has dropped yet another clanger. Looks to me like a publicity stunt to say: "oh look what we're doing to protect our way of life". All this banning bullshit pales in comparison to the real efforts (lack of) being put into halting the knife crime for example.

[Guest elbee909]

Whacky Smith is a complete twunt, as the whole 'let's record the entire internet, duh duh, stop duh terrorism duh duh' idea as shown.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

I'm sure most of the people on the list shouldn't be allowed in but to me Labour have turned into some sort of fascist party. Wanting to keep innocent people's DNA on file, wanting to collate all emails, phone calls, etc.

 

They want to control you.

 

http://www.hainsworth.com/wp-content/gallery/internet-memes/they-live.jpg