British Officials Lump Pro-Life Advocates in With Terrorists in New Travel Ban
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 28, 2008
London, England (LifeNews.com) — British government officials are lumping in pro-life advocates with terrorists in a new ban preventing more than 250 people from entering the European nation. The list, which has not been made public yet but eventually will be, includes people with so-called extremist views.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith crafted the list which features Muslim extremists, neo-Nazis and others who "encourage or spread extremism and hatred through preaching violent messages."
"Coming to the UK is a privilege, and I refuse to extend that privilege to those who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life," Smith said.
Also included? People who are pro-life.
Smith says that 230 people have their names on the list and it will be published in the coming months on the web site of the Home Office, the British equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security. That includes 79 so-called "hate preachers."
Anyone finding their name on the list will be prevented from entering England and the new list, as Smith said in a statement, will "name and shame" extremists worldwide.
To prevent the named individuals from entering the country, the Home Office currently needs to provide proof that their views will lead to violence or incite religious hatred. Anyone appearing on the list can file an appeal to have their name removed.
Over the last year, pro-life advocates have repeatedly been compared to terrorists.
Barack Obama came under fire in April for comparing a pro-life senator to a domestic terrorist responsible for setting off bombs and never apologizing.
Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers shouldn’t be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point.
Then, the Illinois senator brought up a pro-life colleague to apparently make the point that he’s friends with other people who take "extreme" positions or would use terrorist tactics.
"The fact is, is that I’m also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions," Obama said.
CNN received criticism in August 2007 when it implied pro-life advocates are terrorists and support violent actions to promote the cause.
The state of Alabama eventually had to revise a web site that erroneously included pro-life advocates along with terrorists.
The Alabama Department of Homeland Security put together a web site that was partially intended to help state residents spot possible terrorists and report them to officials.
The only problem was that the site included several various political groups, including gay and lesbian groups, anti-war organizations, and pro-life advocates. They fell under the heading "single-issue" terrorists.
Before that, Planned Parenthood listed several pro-life groups as "terrorists and extremists."
ACTION: Contact the British Home Office with your complaints of including pro-life advocates along with terrorists on the travel ban list. Go to https://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/contact-us
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