It seems fitting that my first post to EINY concerns the fulfillment yesterday of Tony Blair’s promise to change the rules of the game with respect to Britain’s historic tolerance of radical Islamists. In releasing a list of newly-punishable offenses, the British Home Office ignored the cautionary note sounded last week by Geoffrey Stone in the New York Times, which argued that a distinction should be drawn between glorification of terrorist violence and outright incitement. Instead, the Brits have proscribed fomenting, justifying or glorifying terrorist violence “in furtherance of particular beliefs,” whatever that means. If it’s just for the hell of it, then no problem?
Outlawing the justification of terrorist violence is a fairly significant abrogation of freedom of speech, but perhaps a necessary one. It is now apparently illegal in the UK to express the view that the London bombers, or Palestinian terrorists for that matter, are motivated by legitimate grievances. It will be interesting to see how these laws are interpreted by the courts. Even more interesting, is that the list applies only to foreign nationals, who can be deported for committing them.
So, it’s ok to continue to foment terrorist violence or urge understanding for oppressed Palestinians who blow up busses if you happen to be, say, Gorgeous George Galloway, but you can now be deported if you’re Omar Bakri Mohammed. I actually think the distinction is permissible. For an explanation of why, click here.
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