LONDON — The British government said Tuesday that it would ban an Islamic group that had sparked public revulsion over its intention to demonstrate in a town known for paying tribute to soldiers slain in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said Islam4UK would be outlawed under a measure allowing the government to ban organizations deemed to advocate or glorify terrorism. He said the move was “not a course we take lightly” but was necessary to tackle violent extremism.
The government alleges that the group is the latest incarnation of an organization that had already been put on the blacklist under previous names, including al-Ghurabaa and the Saved Sect. A former version of the group was known for praising the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Islam4UK caused a stir last week when members said they would march through Wootton Bassett in honor of Afghans killed by foreign troops. The town west of London has come to symbolize Britain’s grief over its rising toll of soldiers slain in Afghanistan. Their bodies pass through the town in flag-shrouded caskets upon being sent home from the field. Hundreds of mourners routinely line the town’s streets to show their respect.
Islam4UK leader Anjem Choudhary denied his group advocated violence. “We are an ideological and political movement,” he told the BBC. “It seems to me that in Britain today, . . . you can practice your freedom of expression as long as the government agrees.”
