SALAH:JUDGEMENT RESERVED ON BANNED CLERIC

An Islamic cleric who is suing the government after he was arrested for breaching an order banning him from entering Britain did know why he was being detained, a court heard.

Arab-Israeli Raed Salah was arrested three days after addressing a meeting in Leicester.

He had flown into Britain from Israel and walked unchallenged past Heathrow security staff.

Salah, who was banned from the country for an anti-semitic speech, is now seeking compensation from the government in the High Court over claims that his detention in an immigration centre was illegal.

His lawyers argue that officers failed to explain in Arabic why he was being arrested, and that he should have been released as soon as he said he was going to appeal his deportation.

Neil Sheldon, for the Home Office, said police officers told Salah the exact section of the Immigration Act – but did so in English and did not make it clear he had breached a banning order.

‘It was explained that he was being detained under the Immigration Act as a person against whom a deportation notice was being sought,’ he said.

‘Even though there is no evidence that these documents were gone through line by line, the essential features of them were communicated, namely ‘you are being detained for the purposes of deportation and you have a right of appeal.’

‘There is nothing in Mr Salah’s statement or anywhere else saying that he asked for extra information or said anything to indicate that he was confused or bewildered.

‘He knows they are immigration officers and he knows it is immigration detention.

‘At its highest there was a degree of confusion for a brief period as to the precise basis for the detention.’

He added that one officer used an iPhone app in a failed attempt to automatically translate messages into Arabic.

Salah was initially arrested in a London hotel on June 28 before being transferred to Colnbrook detention centre, a medium security facility near Heathrow Airport, the following day.

He was released from custody on July 18 following a successful application in the high court by his legal team, who claim that two days passed following his initial arrest before he was told of the reasons behind his detention.

Mr Justice Nichol has now reserved judgement.

A separate hearing is to be held before an immigration tribunal in Birmingham on September 26, where a panel will decide whether he should be forcibly removed from the country.

Outside court, his solicitor, Tayab Ali, said he was not suing in order to get compensation or fighting deportation in an effort to remain and settle in the UK.

‘What’s important is points of principle here,’ he said.

‘These court cases have been initiated by him – it is very important that he clears his name.

‘He is not an anti-semite, and there is nothing that proves he is an anti-semite.

‘Mr Salah has spent his life fighting racism against his own people, and he is not about to participate in racism against another group.

‘He’s an internationally known and respected leader – three times mayor of one of the most important towns in Israel.

‘When someone like that comes to this country, you treat them as a diplomat.

‘The Sheikh being detained is disgusting – it is simply the British government not respecting his office, his position.

‘What the secretary of state should have done is taken more care in how he was treated – her blundering exercise of her discretion has led to these cases.

‘It has led to the Sheikh having to fight to reassert his good reputation, and he has confidence that the British courts will do that for him.’
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