Blair unveils anti-terrorism plan

LONDON — With his nation shaken by last month's bombings, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday announced tough new anti-terrorism measures that include shutting down radical mosques and deporting Islamic clerics who preach violence and hate.

The plan is aimed at isolating religious extremists while giving wider powers to British counterterrorism forces in a country increasingly unnerved by militants. The proposals are an indication that the recent attacks on London's transit system, which killed 52 people on July 7, have forced the government to re-examine the line between civil rights and national security.

"Let no one be in any doubt, the rules of the game are changing," Blair said during a 90-minute news conference.

The measures, in many ways, run counter to Britons' long-held view of their nation as one of the most open multicultural societies in the world. Fear of global terrorism and rhetoric about jihad and radicalism by fringe Islamic organizations in Britain appear to have provided a political mandate for changes that only a few years ago would have been nearly impossible.

The prime minister's 12-point objective is to rid the country of foreign Islamic militants and crush extremist voices that remain. Blair said his government is working on agreements with other nations to guarantee that people Britain would return to the Middle East and Africa would not be tortured or abused. But emphasizing his determination for tougher anti-terror regulations, Blair said he would seek to amend human rights legislation if the courts don't support his proposals for deportation and banning certain political parties.

Human rights groups and liberal members of Blair's Labour Party immediately criticized the measures, which also call for making it a crime to "glorify" terrorism and cracking down on Web sites and bookshops peddling militant writings. Opponents said the plan would violate free speech and other civil rights.

"We don't win by mimicking the profound authoritarianism of those who are plotting against this country," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group, Liberty. "I think it is very worrying that the prime minister has jeopardized our national unity today both in terms of community relations and in terms of consensus politics."

Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said Blair's sweeping plan, much of which needs parliamentary approval, risks "inflaming tensions and alienating people."