Government to tackle 'non-violent extremists'

The action against Islamist "influencers" forms part of a five-year plan to crush the home-grown extremism which the Prime Minister said had led to up to 700 young Britons travelling abroad to fight for the Islamic State (IS) terror group and left Muslim parents "living in fear" that their children may be radicalised.

In a high-profile speech in Birmingham, Mr Cameron announced plans for a new scheme allowing parents to apply to have their own children's passports removed if they suspect them of planning to travel abroad to join a radical group.

The PM said Britain must act to "de-glamourise" groups like IS by making young people aware of the brutal reality of life in the parts of Iraq and Syria which they control.

And he said the UK should do more to promote its own creed of tolerance, democracy, the rule of law and freedom of speech and should make clear that the doctrine of respect for different faiths must be matched by those faiths supporting the British way of life.

Mr Cameron said it was not enough for extremists to say they opposed IS - also known as Isil, Isis or Daesh - for them to prove that they were not a threat. This would be setting the bar for acceptability "ludicrously low", and groups should be expected also to condemn conspiracy theories, anti-semitism and sectarianism, he said.
"We need to put out of action the key extremist influencers who are careful to operate just inside the law but who clearly detest British society and everything we stand for," said the Prime Minister.

"These people aren't just extremists, they are also despicable far-right groups too, and what links them all is their aim to groom young people and brainwash their minds.

"Let's be clear who benefits most from us being tough on these non-violent extremists - it's Muslim families living in fear that their children could be radicalised and run off to Syria, and communities worried about some poisonous far-right extremists planning to attack your mosque."

A new Extremism Bill will include "narrowly-targeted" powers to tackle these "facilitators and cult leaders" and stop them "peddling their hatred", said Mr Cameron.

He also said the Government would take action to tackle sectarian and communal segregation in schools, and called on communications watchdog Ofcom to clamp down on cable TV channels broadcasting extremist messages.
Universities should be ready to challenge extremist speakers on campus and broadcasters should use a wider range of speakers from Muslim communities, rather than repeatedly putting extreme voices on screen, he said.
Mr Cameron said that too often the authorities had "turned a blind eye" to issues like forced marriage or female genital mutilation (FGM) for fear of offending cultural sensitivities.

Announcing a consultation on introducing lifetime anonymity for the victims of forced marriages, he said he wanted to see more prosecutions in cases of this sort as part of a drive to "enforce" British values and ensure they applied uniformly to people of all backgrounds.

"My argument with young people being sucked towards this appalling extremist Isil worldview is 'You are heading towards a belief system that believes in throwing people off buildings, raping children, enslaving women'," said the Prime Minister.

"The values of freedom and democracy are far stronger, far better than the values of Isil.
"We are not serving our argument or serving our country or serving new arrivals to our country if we don't enforce these values uniformly.

"If we have a situation where young people are being taken off and married against their will or having the appalling practice of FGM carried out on them, and the British state and the British Government and the British Parliament and police and courts look the other way, we are not showing great confidence in our values.
"Our values are so great that we should want to enforce them for all, including new arrivals, including people subjected potentially to those practices."

Here is the speech...
Today in Birmingham I gave a speech on how we can defeat extremism and build a stronger, more cohesive society.
Britain is a successful, multi-racial, multi-faith democracy - we are a beacon to the world. But we need to understand the extremist threat we face, and why we must face it.
Islamist extremism is an extreme ideology that seeks to destroy nation-states and invent its own barbaric realm. It often uses violence, mostly against Muslims. But it also promotes ideas hostile to our values of democracy, freedom and sexual equality, and promotes discrimination, sectarianism and segregation.
To tackle this, we need to understand why this ideology is proving so attractive. I argue that it is for four reasons. This ideology is not just subversive, but can seem exciting. It has often sucked people in from non-violence to violence. It is overpowering moderate voices within the debate. And it can gain traction because of issues of identity and failures of integration.
The right approach for defeating extremism follows from answering each one of these four points. In the Autumn, we will publish our Counter-Extremism Strategy, setting out in detail what we will do to counter this threat. But today I set out the principles we will adopt.
First, we need to confront the ideology and expose it as a belief system that glorifies violence and subjugates people. We need to de-glamorise the extremist cause, especially ISIL. So we will use people who really understand the true nature of life under ISIL to communicate what it is like. We will counter ideology better on the ground through specific de-radicalisation programmes - and go much further in prison and online. We will also do more to tackle appalling cultural practices like FGM, forced marriage, so-called honour based violence. We need everyone - Government, local authorities, police, schools, all of us - to enforce our values across the spectrum.
Second, we need to tackle both violent and non-violent extremism. That means tackling groups and organisations who may not advocate violence, but promote the extremist narrative. We do this already - that's why we ban hate preachers and have redirected public funds away from bodies that promote non-violent extremism.
But we will go further, for example in education with measures to guard against radicalisation of children in so-called supplementary schools or tuition centres. We will introduce new, targeted powers to deal with those who peddle hatred. This is not just about changing laws - it is about all of us changing our approach to challenge extremism, including universities. We need the support of families and communities, and the Government will help where it can. I know some parents are worried their children might turn to this ideology, even seeking to travel to Syria and Iraq. So we will introduce a new scheme to enable parents to apply directly to get their children's passports temporarily cancelled.
Third, we need to embolden different voices within the Muslim community. We are now going to actively encourage the reforming and moderate Muslim voices. This extremist ideology is not true Islam, but the extremists self-identify as Muslims. Denying that disempowers critical reforming voices. These are voices that are challenging the fusion of religion and politics, the scriptural basis which extremists claim to be acting on - and can provide an alternative worldview that could stop a teenager's slide along the spectrum of extremism.
So we will back those who share our values with practical help, funding, campaigns, protection and political representation. I am going to set up a new community engagement forum so I can hear directly from those who are challenging extremism. I also want to challenge broadcasters - who are free to put whoever they want on the airwaves - to consider giving the huge number of Muslims who represent liberal values, run credible charities and community organisations, the platform they deserve, including MPs.
Fourth, we need to build a more cohesive society, so more people feel a part of it and are therefore less vulnerable to extremism. I understand that it can be hard being young and Muslim, or young and Sikh, or young and black in this country. I know that while injustice remains - be it with racism, discrimination or Islamophobia - you may feel there is no place for you in Britain. But there is a place for you, and I will do everything I can to support you. We have made progress in recent years, but we need to go further.
We need to lift the horizons of some of our most isolated and deprived communities. So Louise Casey will review how to boost opportunity and integration - and bring Britain together as One Nation. This means looking at ensuring people learn English, boosting employment - especially for women - and state agencies working with communities to properly promote integration. We also need to look at segregation, because when people grow up and go to school hardly ever coming into meaningful contact with people from other backgrounds - it drives people apart. So we will take a fresh look at the sort of shared future we want for our young people.
This is how I believe we can win the struggle of our generation: countering the extremist ideology by standing up for and promoting British values; taking on extremism in all its forms - both violent and non-violent; empowering those moderate and reforming voices who speak for the vast majority of Muslims that want to reclaim their religion; and addressing the identity crisis that some young people feel by bringing our communities together and extending opportunity to all.
This is not an issue for one community or part of society - but for all of us. Time and again, Britain has refused to compromise on our values or give up our way of life. And we shall do so again. Together we will defeat the extremists and build a stronger and more cohesive country for our children and grandchildren and for every generation to come.