Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to crack down on people 'pushing hateful beliefs'
The Home Office has said it will "kickstart" an initiative to "tackle the threat posed by extremist ideologies".
Sunday 18 August 2024 12:43, UK
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has promised to crack down on people "pushing harmful and hateful beliefs" and "kickstart" a new approach to fighting extremism in the wake of riots that broke out across the UK earlier this month.聽
The Home Office has commissioned a "rapid sprint" to develop a new approach to countering extremism.
The project aims to provide analysis and recommendations on how to "tackle the threat posed by extremist ideologies".
It will inform a new government counter-extremism strategy to respond to changing patterns in extremism across the UK.
The Home Office said the scheme will look at the rise of both Islamist and far-right extremism in the UK, as well as wider ideological trends, including extreme misogyny or beliefs that fit into broader categories like fixation on violence.
Around 460 people have so far appeared in magistrates' courts relating to the disorder sparked by misinformation surrounding the suspect in the Southport knife attack.
At least 72 people under the age of 18 are believed to have been charged.
Several have been handed charges relating to publishing material that contributed to rioting, such as publishing written material to stir up racial hatred or sending a grossly offensive message.
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Ms Cooper said: "For too long, governments have failed to address the rise in extremism, both online and on our streets, and we've seen the number of young people radicalised online grow.
"Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy."
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This inquiry was started before the violent disorder we saw this summer, but a Home Office source said: "It's fair to say it's been sped up."
The review aims to identify which forms of extremism are on the rise - far-right, Islamism and extreme misogyny among them - and how to allocate resources accordingly.
It will feed into a new counter-extremism strategy, with input from other government departments, and is likely to be consulted on next year.
The government's definition of extremism - updated last year following Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel - includes any ideology "based on violence, hatred or intolerance" which aims to destroy freedoms, threaten democracy or create a permissive environment for others to achieve those aims.
There have been various extremism reviews in recent years - Dame Sara Khan's work on social cohesion; Sir Mark Rowley's legal review of the adequacy of legislation, and Lord Walney's recommendations on protests; as well as work by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
But there has been no new strategy since 2015 when Lord David Cameron wrote in his introduction that "whether in the face of Islamist or neo-Nazi extremism, we were too tolerant of intolerance, too afraid to cause offence". The online landscape has changed dramatically since then.
Youth radicalisation is a particular concern. Of the hundreds of people charged with offences over the recent disorder, 72 are believed to be under the age of 18.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is focused on practical steps and before taking office suggested a 拢100m ambition for youth hubs to help those at risk of being drawn into violence. This summer's violence may galvanise action, but police and local authorities will question whether there be funding for it.
The home secretary added: "Action against extremism has been badly hollowed out in recent years, just when it should have been needed most.
"That's why I have directed the Home Office to conduct a rapid analytical sprint on extremism, to map and monitor extremist trends, to understand the evidence about what works to disrupt and divert people away from extremist views, and to identify any gaps in existing policy which need to be addressed to crack down on those pushing harmful and hateful beliefs and violence.
"That work will underpin a new strategic approach to countering extremism from government, working closely with communities to build consensus and impetus for our plans."
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The new strategy aims to deliver on the government's manifesto commitment of preventing people being drawn towards hateful ideologies
Ms Cooper had criticised the last Conservative government for having no counter-extremism strategy since 2015 and said that the lack of a comprehensive approach or practical plans was leaving communities less safe.