[Imc-East.-Mediterr.] British MP calls for ban on Robertson on anti-terror laws

[Petros Evdokas]

Friends,

It comforts me to see the insanity of Imperial politics be turned upside 
down - the news item below is an excellent example of an effort to use 
the Empire's own discriminatory bigotry to serve Justice.

Petros

====================================================
From: Aniruddha Das <a.. at ia.edu>
To: actionGreens at yahoogroups.com

Subject: [ActionGreens] British MP calls for ban on Robertson on 
anti-terror laws
Date: 02/09/2005 08:47:00
====================================================

<http://news.scotsman.com>news.scotsman.com
Tue 30 Aug 2005

Call for anti-terror law ban on US evangelist
<http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1862182005>http://news.scotsman..com/politics.cfm?id=1862182005


HAMISH MACDONELL SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR

Key points
• MP calls for Pat Robertson ban over alleged assassination comment
• Evangelist said Venezuelan president Chavez should be 'taken out' on TV
• Home Office declines to comment on proposed ban under anti-terror laws

Key quote
"My view is that [Mr Robertson] is frankly not
the sort of person we would welcome into Britain.
The new law would catch him as someone preaching
hate and murder" - Nigel Griffiths MP

Story in full A GOVERNMENT minister has fuelled
the row over Britain's proposed new anti-terror
laws by calling for Pat Robertson, the
controversial American evangelist, to be banned
from the UK. Nigel Griffiths, the deputy leader
of the House of Commons, said Mr Robertson should
be barred from Britain for inciting "hate and murder".

Mr Robertson has been at the centre of a storm in
the United States after he called on Washington
to assassinate Hugo Chavez, the left-wing president of Venezuela.

Tony Blair's proposed anti-terror laws are
designed to prevent some Islamic preachers who
back suicide bombers and terrorism from coming to Britain.

The laws would give the government the ability to
refuse entry to anyone found to have incited terrorism.

But the Prime Minister did not expect the laws to
be used to catch Christian preachers, however
radical, particularly those with influential
friends in the US Republican Party, such as Mr Robertson.

Mr Griffiths said yesterday that he supported the
new anti-terror laws, but argued the legislation
should be used in an even-handed way, and if that
meant annoying the US government, that was not his concern.

He said: "My view is that [Mr Robertson] is
frankly not the sort of person we would welcome
into Britain. The new law would catch him as
someone preaching hate and murder."

And he added: "I think anyone who calls for
violent measures against others should not be
welcome in Britain. What we need to ensure is
that what applies to extreme mullahs applies to Pat Robertson.

"I think, if we did that, we could show that this
legislation is not targeted at one single race or religious group."

The Edinburgh South MP may well support the
proposed anti-terrorism legislation but, in
coming out so strongly against Mr Robertson, he
appears to be provoking a potential clash with
the US administration - something which would
greatly embarrass 10 Downing Street.

Mr Griffiths has always been seen as a loyal
Brownite and his comments will be dismissed by
No10 as the machinations of one of the Chancellor's closest supporters.

But any attempt to use the anti-terror laws to
prevent Mr Robertson from entering Britain would
cause a split between No10 and the White House.

Asked whether he was worried that his comments
might anger the US administration, Mr Griffiths
replied: "As deputy leader of the House of
Commons, what the American administration are
happy with or not happy with is not one of my concerns."

Mr Robertson - a failed Republican presidential
candidate, self-described "humanitarian" and
outspoken founder of the right-wing Christian
Coalition - sparked the controversy when he said
that killing Mr Chavez, the South American leader
who has a prickly relationship with the US, would
be "a whole lot cheaper than starting a war".

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think
the time has come that we exercise that ability,"
the 75-year-old TV preacher said.

The Government refused to comment on Mr
Griffiths' remarks. A Home Office spokesman said:
"We will not be commenting on individual cases."
--------------------