Home Secretary Theresa May defends Sheikh Raed Salah exclusion decision

Home Secretary Theresa May has said she wants to stop those who encourage extremism before it escalates to violence as she defended her decision to exclude a Palestinian activist from the UK.

The Government has taken decisions to exclude people such as Sheikh Raed Salah which might not have been taken in the past as it wanted to take action early "rather than simply waiting until people have gone down the route of violent extremism", she said.

Mr Salah, 52, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was detained on the orders of the Home Secretary in June after managing to enter Britain despite being banned.

Mrs May said: "I think it is right that we have taken a slightly different stance over the last 18 months as a new Government in looking at this because we believe that this issue of words that are said - what people actually say and how they are able to encourage others through the words that they say - is an important issue for us to address.

"That's why we have perhaps taken some decisions in relation to individuals that might not have been taken in the past."

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Mrs May went on: "That's why we have chosen in our Prevent strategy, for example, to look not just at violent extremism but at extremism.

"I think it's important that we do so.

"If we are able to do that, I think (that) enables us to operate at an earlier level rather than simply waiting until people have gone down the route of violent extremism."

A High Court judge is deciding whether Mr Salah should be entitled to damages.

He flew to the UK on June 25 intending to stay for 10 days in order to attend meetings and public engagements, the High Court has heard.

Three days later he was detained and the Home Secretary served a deportation notice saying his presence in the UK was "not conducive to the public good".

Mr Salah is seeking damages for unlawful detention. He has strongly denied accusations that he is connected with violent extremism. He is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship and says he has dedicated his life to campaigning against racism and oppression faced by the Palestinian people.

He says he was "confined without lawful authority" and his claim is "essentially one for false imprisonment".

Mrs May denies that Mr Salah's detention was unlawful. She says she acted reasonably and was entitled to detain.

Judge Mr Justice Nicol has reserved judgment to a date to be fixed after hearing arguments from lawyers representing Mr Salah and Mrs May during a two-day hearing in London last week.

Mr Salah, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, is on bail pending the outcome of litigation.

Speaking in a question and answer session with US journalists on Friday, Mrs May added that she could not comment on the case in detail due to the ongoing legal proceedings.

PA