16 February 2006
Tony Blair has said "the argument has been won" on fighting terrorism after MPs backed new laws.
The government won a majority of 38 in a Commons vote to create a new offence of the "glorification" of terrorist acts.
The proposal was first introduced after the July 7 London bombings.
Yesterday’s vote overturned an earlier decision by the Lords.
Speaking after the vote Mr Blair pointed to the extreme placards wielded in protests at the cartoons produced in Denmark of the prophet Mohammed. He said it would now be easier to take action against people inciting terrorism.
The Prime Minister said:
"I think what is important is that Parliament has now sent out a very strong signal: It is not merely people who engage in acts of terrorism, but those who incite acts of terrorism, or who glorify terrorism, or who in any way encourage people to commit acts of terrorism either here or anywhere else.
"And I think that signal of strength is vital in circumstances where the threat that we face is not just from the individual acts of terrorism, but the people who celebrate it, who try to entice other people or recruit other people into doing it.
"I hope that message of strength is heard loud and clear.
"I think the reason that we won the vote on identity cards and on terrorism, in the end pretty comprehensively, was that we won the argument."
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