LONDON, 25 August 2005 — As expected, British Home Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday published his list of “unacceptable behavior” by which foreigners living in the UK who are accused of promoting, glorifying or encouraging terrorism can be judged and if necessary deported or excluded from the UK. The measures are particularly aimed at so-called ‘preachers of hate and intolerance’.

In one of the most comprehensive changes in civil liberties legislation in recent UK history, Clarke gave notice that the first deportations could happen “very quickly — in the next few days”.

Prime targets include Abu Qatada, the Jordanian radical cleric, often dubbed as Osama Bin Laden’s spokesman in Britain; and Yasser Al-Siri, an Egyptian radical convicted for murder of a six-year-old girl in a bomb blast in Egypt; and Saudi dissident Mohammed Al-Massari, whose website carried images of attacks on British troops in Iraq.

Two weeks ago Clarke declared that he would be publishing this list following a consultation and review period with Opposition parties, community organizations and other interested parties. This in the wake of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s warning that “the rules of the game have changed” for those radical foreigners who abuse British hospitality. Last week, the Home Secretary banned Syrian-born radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, who went on a ‘holiday’ to Lebanon, from re-entering the UK.

The sweeping measures are partly in response to the 7/7 suicide bombings on the London transport system in which 56 people were killed and over 700 injured; and the failed copycat 21/7 attacks.

“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, By publishing the list today I make it absolutely clear that these are unacceptable behaviors and will be the grounds for deporting and excluding such individuals from the UK,” said Clarke.

The government is also drawing up a new global database of foreign-born radicals accused of encouraging acts of terrorism, which will list those who face automatic vetting before being allowed into the UK.

The main measures total about 14 and include “fostering hatred or, advocating and justifying violence to further beliefs. The powers will cover statements already on record; Agreements with other countries, such as Jordan, to ensure people can be deported to their nations of origin without being tortured or ill-treated; Amend human rights laws, if necessary, to prevent legal obstacles to new deportation rules; Home secretary automatically to consider deporting any foreigner involved in listed extremist bookshops, centers, organizations and websites; Make justifying or glorifying terrorism anywhere an offence; Automatically refuse asylum to anyone with anything to do with terrorism anywhere; Consult on setting a maximum time limit for extraditions to other countries; Use more control orders against British terror suspects, who cannot be deported; and plans to ban the Hizb ut Tahrir and the successor organization of Al-Muhajiroun.”

The Government also plans to review the threshold for gaining British citizenship and establish, with the Muslim community, a commission to advise how to better integrate parts of the community “presently inadequately integrated.” The Home Office will also introduce the use of biometric visas for those from designated countries.

Not surprisingly, a war of words have already started between the Home Secretary and human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Liberty, and Human Rights Watch, who have stressed that the measures are too catchall and vague.

Even London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has come up with the ‘Nelson Mandela Test’ to benchmark Clarke’s list of unacceptable behaviors. Would ANC activists living in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s who supported the bombing campaign against the Apartheid Regime in South Africa have been deported under these new measures, he asked? If so, then he would oppose Mr. Clarke’s measures, he said yesterday.

The Home Secretary has particularly been incensed by Manfred Nowak, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture who said that the measures especially the deportations were not “an appropriate tool to eradicate this risk. The fact that such assurances are sought shows in itself that the sending country perceives a serious risk of the deportee being subjected to torture or ill-treatment upon arrival in the receiving country.”

Clarke had a blunt message for the senior UN official.

“Certainly, the human rights of people who are criminals, they have to be looked after,” he told the ITV News Channel. “But more important in my view are the human rights of the people against whom the criminals commit their acts. So 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… I wish the UN would look at human rights in the round rather than simply focusing all the time on the terrorist.”

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) also was concerned that the list of “unacceptable behaviors” is “too wide and unclear”. In a statement, the Council yesterday said: “It would be more prudent to bring persons who threaten the peace and security of the realm, whether resident or visiting, to trial under our own laws. Sending them out may turn them into unwanted heroes who may then be free to export their vile thoughts, if such be the case, from exile. We do not want this.”