Human rights groups criticise UK's 'behaviour' laws

Charles Clarke

The UK Home Secretary faced accusations today that moves to expel radical preachers could backfire by turning extremists into martyrs and increasing prejudice against law-abiding Muslims. 

Charles Clarke set out a series of "unacceptable behaviours" yesterday that would be used to exclude foreign extremists from Britain and remove those already in the country.

They include "fomenting, justifying or glorifying" terrorism or seeking to provoke others to commit terrorist acts, although he has dropped an earlier proposal to outlaw views "the Government considers to be extreme and that conflict with the UK's culture of tolerance".

The government said the guidelines, which take immediate effect, applied to views conveyed through written or published material, including websites, as well as public speaking.

Rights groups opposed the review of government powers.

"The vagueness and breadth of the definition of "unacceptable behaviour" and "terrorism" can lead to further injustice and risk further undermining human rights protection in the UK," said Halya Gowan of Amnesty International.

Two waves of bomb attacks in London which killed 52 commuters last month prompted a series of new anti-terrorism measures and Prime Minister Tony Blair says the "rules of the game are changing".

The list of criteria foreshadows a new wave of explusions from Britain under powers announced by Mr Clarke last month.

He said yesterday: "The terrorist threat facing the UK remains real and significant and it is right the Government and law enforcement agencies do everything possible to counter it."

He won backing from the main opposition parties, but provoked alarm among Muslim leaders.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Sending [extremists] out may turn them into unwanted heroes who may then be free to export their vile thoughts, if such be the case, from exile."

Denouncing the plans as a "criminalisation of thought", the Islamic Human Rights Commission said: "The proposals do nothing but unleash further Islamophobia in British society."

Ian Macdonald, who resigned from the Special Immigration Appeal Court over anti-terrorism legislation, said the new criteria could make it even harder to remove suspected extremists and create a "field day for lawyers".

He told the BBC: "The Secretary of State would have been far better off sticking with powers which he has because these don't add to his powers. They try to explain it. They really aren't clear."

The United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, also accused the Government of trying to circumvent its duty not to deport people to countries where they could face torture or abuse.

His comments drew a furious response from Mr Clarke, who said: "The human rights of those people who were blown up on the Tube in London on July 7 are, to be quite frank, more important than the human rights of the people who committed those acts."

He argued that the list of "unacceptable behaviours" would send a powerful deterrent message to extremists.

Asked whether some people could be excluded from Britain by the end of this week or the beginning of next week, Mr Clarke said: "I expect so."

The security services have drawn up a list of foreign-born extremists they want expelled, while British embassies are compiling a list of radicals they believe should be barred from this country.

Three weeks ago ten suspected extremists, including Abu Qatada, described as Osama bin Laden's 'ambassador in Europe', were detained ready for expulsion.

However, moves to deport suspected terrorist sympathisers could prompt protracted legal challenges lasting years.

Civil rights group Liberty attacked any move that would lead to suspects being sent to countries with a record of torture.

Earlier this month, the government pledged to deport 10 people, including the suspected spiritual leader of al Qaeda in Europe, Jordanian national Abu Qatada.

The Government hopes to overcome human rights objections by obtaining promises from ten countries in the Muslim world that they will not torture suspected terrorists sent to them.

Such a "memorandum of understanding" has been signed with Jordan, although the Government has so far failed to clinch such an agreement with Algeria. Nine of the people already detained are Algerian.

Britain is home to 1.6 million Muslims, just under three per cent of the population. About two thirds of British Muslims hail from the Indian subcontinent.

Some experts say Blair is belatedly responding to criticism that the government's tradition of granting asylum to Middle East dissidents, a practice that earned London the tag "Londonistan", has helped foster a dangerously radical Islamist scene.

- THE INDEPENDENT