Britain publishes list of people banned from entry

LONDON — For the first time, Britain today published a list of people barred from entering the country for allegedly fostering extremism or hatred, including Muslim extremists, a right-wing American radio host, an Israeli settler and jailed Russian gang members.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she decided to publish the names of 16 of 22 people who have been banned by the government since October so others could better understand what sort of behavior Britain was not prepared to tolerate. She cited unidentified “public interest” reasons for not disclosing the other six names.

“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,” Smith told GMTV.

Popular American talk-radio host Michael Savage, who broadcasts from San Francisco and has called the Muslim holy book, the Quran, a “book of hate” is on the list. Savage also has enraged parents of children with autism by saying in most cases it’s “a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.”

The list includes Americans Stephen “Don” Black, founder of a Florida-based white supremacist Web site, and anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps, who leads a church in Topeka, Kansas.

The British government previously acknowledged that Phelps was banned. His daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, also was banned. The pair have picketed the funerals of AIDS victims and claimed the deaths of U.S. soldiers are a punishment for tolerance of homosexuality.

Yunis Al-Astal, a Hamas lawmaker in Gaza, and Egyptian cleric Safwat Hijazi are on the list. So is Israeli settler Mike Guzovsky, who Britain’s Home Office said was involved with military training camps.

Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, two leaders of a Russian gang, are barred from entering Britain. They were imprisoned for 10 years in Russia last year for their role in racially motivated killings of 19 people.