U.K. list of personas non gratas includes Palestinian Samir al-Qintar

 

Britain Publishes Persona Non Grata Blacklist Includes Qantar Britain published a blacklist Tuesday of people recently banned from the country including Samir Qantar, who was released by Israel last July in a prisoner swap with Hizbullah. Described as a monster in Israel where he was convicted for killing Danny Haran, his four-year-old daughter Einat and an Israeli policeman in a notorious attack nearly three decades ago, Qantar is considered a hero by many in Lebanon, where he was given a red carpet welcome on his release.He carried out the cross-border raid that landed him in jail in 1979 when he was part of the Palestine Liberation Front. Since his release he has become the popular with Hezbollah and speaks at many of their events. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to publish the “name and shame” list — which identifies 16 people banned since last October — for the first time to clarify what behavior Britain will not tolerate. “I think it’s important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it’s a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won’t be welcome in this country,” she said. “If you can’t live by the rules that we live by … we should exclude you from this country and, what’s more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded,” she told the GMTV broadcaster. Between October and April the Home Office excluded 22 people for “fostering extremism or hatred” included preachers Abdullah Qadri Al Ahdal and Amir Siddique, said a Home Office statement. Hamas lawmaker Yunis Al-Astal, Jewish extremist Mike Guzovsky, former Ku Klux Klan leader Stephen Donald Black and neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe are also on the list, as is controversial radio host Michael Alan Weiner, also known as Michael Savage. Others blacklisted include homophobic U.S. pastor Fred Waldron Phelps, as well as Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, former leaders of a violent Russian skinhead gang which committed 20 racially motivated murders. Smith said: “The government opposes extremism in all its forms and I am determined to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country. “This is the driving force behind tighter rules on exclusions for unacceptable behavior,” she added. Six of those excluded recently were not named because it would not be “in the public interest,” said the Home Office. In February Britain triggered a formal protest from the Netherlands after refusing entry to far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, maker of a controversial film linking Islam to terrorist attacks.(AFP)

Beirut, 05 May 09, 21:54