The British government has banned 16 people from entering the country because of their allegedly hate-filled rhetoric. On the list is “conservative” radio talk star Michael Savage.
I don’t have any problems whatsoever with Britain banning people from visiting because they strongly disapprove of their public views, and Michael Savage is a buffoon who is nearly a Left-wing parody of a Right-wing radio host. Also on the list is the extremely odious “Baptist” preacher who likes to protest soldiers’ funerals and claims that “God hates fags” along with other charming idiocies, as well as a motley collection of skinheads, racists, jihadists, and terrorist sympathizers.
Two thoughts: 1) Michael Savage may be a clown with some truly unpalatable views, but I’m not sure the level of his offenses rises quite to the level of Russian neo-Nazi skinheads, and 2) Britain has a very real problem with Muslim preachers who extol the great glories of waging jihad against the West, and would be well within its rights to order the immediate deportation of any non-citizen (Muslim or otherwise) who publicly espouses jihad and/or violent revolution against the host country.
So, fine. Ban Michael Savage who, at the very least, would not emerge from his plane at Heathrow calling for the extermination of Israel or advocating replacing the British legal system with one based on sharia law. But the real problem remains, and Britain would be well advised to spend more of its time worrying about the hate-filled jihadists living in their neighborhoods than about politically incorrect talk radio hosts from America.
The Clampdown 