Noir
01-12-2010, 10:46 AM
A radical Islamist group that planned a march through Wootton Bassett will be banned under counter-terrorism laws, Home Secretary Alan Johnson has said.
Islam4UK had planned the protest at the Wiltshire town to honour Muslims killed in the Afghanistan conflict.
The government had been considering outlawing the group - Islam4UK is also known as al-Muhajiroun.
A spokesman for Islam4UK told the BBC it was an "ideological and political organisation", and not a violent one.
Mr Johnson said: "I have today laid an order which will proscribe al-Muhajiroun, Islam4UK, and a number of the other names the organisation goes by.
"It is already proscribed under two other names - al-Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect.
"Proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism and is not a course we take lightly.
"We are clear that an organisation should not be able to circumvent proscription by simply changing its name."
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, a group can be banned if it "commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for, promotes or encourages terrorism or is otherwise concerned in terrorism".
Groups can also be outlawed if they "unlawfully glorify the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism".
Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary told BBC Radio 4: "What the people will see is if you don't agree with the government and you want to expose their foreign policy, then freedom quickly dissipates and turns into dictatorship."
He denied Islam4UK members were involved in violence: "I challenge anyone to authentically prove that any of our members have been involved in any violent activities or promoting violent activities or asking anyone to carry out any sort of military operations.
"We are always at pains to stress that we are an ideological and political organisation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8453560.stm
Islam4UK had planned the protest at the Wiltshire town to honour Muslims killed in the Afghanistan conflict.
The government had been considering outlawing the group - Islam4UK is also known as al-Muhajiroun.
A spokesman for Islam4UK told the BBC it was an "ideological and political organisation", and not a violent one.
Mr Johnson said: "I have today laid an order which will proscribe al-Muhajiroun, Islam4UK, and a number of the other names the organisation goes by.
"It is already proscribed under two other names - al-Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect.
"Proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism and is not a course we take lightly.
"We are clear that an organisation should not be able to circumvent proscription by simply changing its name."
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, a group can be banned if it "commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for, promotes or encourages terrorism or is otherwise concerned in terrorism".
Groups can also be outlawed if they "unlawfully glorify the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism".
Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary told BBC Radio 4: "What the people will see is if you don't agree with the government and you want to expose their foreign policy, then freedom quickly dissipates and turns into dictatorship."
He denied Islam4UK members were involved in violence: "I challenge anyone to authentically prove that any of our members have been involved in any violent activities or promoting violent activities or asking anyone to carry out any sort of military operations.
"We are always at pains to stress that we are an ideological and political organisation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8453560.stm