Britain to ban extremist Islamist preachers from entering the country: report
The UK will ban extremist Islamic preachers from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia from entering the country.
London: Hate preachers with extremist Islamist views from countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia will be banned from entering Britain under new plans being drawn up by the government, according to a British media report on Sunday.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the British government is concerned about a “shocking increase” in extremist activity and officials are being deputed to identify the most dangerous extremists from abroad so they can be added to visa warning lists. Under the new plans, those on the list will automatically be refused entry to Britain.
The revelation comes days after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave an impassioned speech from the podium at 10 Downing Street in London, warning that the country’s democratic and multi-faith values were under threat from extremists.
“We will also act to prevent people from entering this country whose aim is to undermine its values,” Sunak said in his speech on Friday.
“The Home Secretary has instructed that if those here on visas choose to spread hatred about protests or try to intimidate people, we will revoke their right to be here,” he said.
The British Indian leader had also appealed to demonstrators who took to the streets in the country to protest the conflict between Israel and Hamas to ensure that their actions were not hijacked by extremists.
“The time has now come when we must all stand together to fight the forces of division and defeat this poison. We must face the extremists who want to tear us apart,” he said, warning that “Islamist extremists and the far right feed and encourage each other.”
Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in a new wave of pro-Palestinian protests, with the Metropolitan Police making 12 arrests for activities contrary to peace in London.
According to The Daily Telegraph report, an official review by Lord Walney, the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, calls on ministers to tackle the growing threat posed by fringe, left-wing groups aligned with have linked such provocations to Islamist extremists. -Palestine marches through Britain.
“One of the conclusions of my review is to look at and understand the threat posed by anti-democratic far-left groups, in addition to the threat posed by Islamists and the far right. You see an unholy alliance between far-left groups and some Islamist groups extremism that we saw during the marches,” he told the newspaper.
Walney’s report is with the Home Office and will be published later this month.
“Extremism has no place in our society and we will not tolerate tactics that aim to intimidate, threaten or disrupt the law-abiding majority,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
“In recent months we have also witnessed a small number of protesters displaying violent and hateful behaviour, and the police have our full support in tackling extremism and hate crime. We are considering the report’s recommendations very carefully and will respond in due course,” the spokesperson said.
(Only the headline was reworked by India.com staff. The copy is from an agency feed)