London: The UK Home Office has banned an Islamist group, Muslims against Crusades, which was planning to disrupt the Armistice Day ceremonies.
The organisation is a renamed successor to the already banned group Islam4UK.
"I am satisfied Muslims Against Crusades is simply another name for an organisation already proscribed under a number of names including Al Ghurabaa, The Saved Sect, Al-Muhajiroun and Islam4UK. The organisation was proscribed in 2006 for glorifying terrorism and we are clear it should not be able to continue these activities by simply changing its name,” UK Home Secretary Theresa May said.
The ban,which has been evoked under the Terrorism Act 2000, will make membership of the group a criminal offence, the Guardian reports.
It would also be a criminal offence to "arrange a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation, or to wear clothing, or to carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of the proscribed organisation".
The ban is a part of UK Government’s drive to persecute organizations promoting terrorism or having alleged terror links.
Choudary of Muslims Against Crusades said the decision was a "bid by the government to cover up the truth".
"I think it is an abject failure of democracy and it is a victory for sharia Muslims. The truth is something the government would rather silence,” he said.
ANI
First Published: Friday, November 11, 2011, 15:27