Preachers of hate face being kicked out of Britain in latest crackdown

FOREIGN hate preachers face deportation in a crackdown on extremism following the Rochdale by-election.

Ministers are examining plans to cancel the visas of foreigners caught spreading hate at pro-Palestine events after an upsurge in antiSemitism in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7.

Troublemakers could also be barred from travelling to the UK. The Border Force already has powers to block visas for anyone whose presence is deemed to be ‘nonconducive to the public good’. In the past, this has been applied only in cases where there is considered to be a threat to national security.

But ministers are now looking to extend the definition more broadly to include those spreading hatred.

Rishi Sunak hinted at the move in his address to the nation last Friday in which he urged the country to ‘face down the extremists who would tear us apart’.

The Prime Minister said Home Secretary James Cleverly had asked officials to examine the visas of foreigners who ‘choose to spew hate on protests or seek to intimidate people’, adding: ‘ We will remove their right to be here.’

The move mirrors the approach in France, where a string of extremists have been kicked out since October 7. Last month, a Tunisian imam was deported for ‘unacceptable remarks’ despite living in France for 40 years.

The crackdown here follows mounting concern about a rise in extremism following the October 7 attacks.

The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that MPs have been warned the threat of a terror attack on British soil is at its highest level since 9/11.

One MP briefed by the security services said: ‘The level of extremist chatter is off the scale.’ Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation, said he had not seen ‘this level of open extremism’ since being appointed in 2019.

Crossbench peer Lord Walney, the Government’s independent adviser on tackling political violence, yesterday called for MPs to cut ties with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organised many of the events in support of Gaza since October 7.

Lord Walney said support should be withdrawn until it ‘cuts hate from its marches’.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt yesterday said government action was needed to ensure the ‘traditional British virtue of tolerance’ is maintained. He told GB News: ‘What we have seen in the last few months is a line being crossed with protests that are intimidatory, that have led to some people feeling it is not safe to go out of their homes...’

Labour education spokesman Bridget Phillipson said the party supported tough action on extremism but she said the right to protest was ‘an important fundamental right in our democracy’.

Pro- Palestine protests continued across England and Wales over the weekend, with local demos held against Barclays Bank over its historic ties with Israel.

Protesters marching to a Barclays branch in central London on Saturday used the controversial ‘ from the river to the sea’ chant, which some critics say calls for the eradication of the state of Israel.

A march through the capital organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is planned for this Saturday.

‘Powers to block visas’

RISHI Sunak’s pledge to crack down on foreign hate preachers who stoke division on our streets is urgently needed.

These ranting recruit sergeants for extremism, terror and murder have been allowed to deliver their blood- curdling sermons with impunity for far too long.

But there is a depressingly familiar ring to the PM’s words. Ever since the July 7 bombings in 2005, ministers have vowed to get tough with clerics who pour poison into the ears of impressionable young Muslims.

Yet spooked by the civil liberties lobby, and in craven fear of offending minorities, ministers have dithered over silencing the religious zealots who wish our society harm.

Mr Sunak says he will stop hate preachers coming to Britain and deport those already here. How will he achieve this when our borders are wide open and human rights laws frustrate attempts to get rid of them?

It is vital he finds a way. People are angry that those who despise our way of life are not just being tolerated, but indulged.