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Security minister warns far right is adopting same grooming methods used by Islamists | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Security minister Ben Wallace has warned that far-right extremists in the UK are adopting the same grooming methods previously used by Islamist groups to radicalise people. | |
The minister, who is responsible for counter-terrorism, said there is a danger that far-right and Islamist extremists antagonise and feed off each other’s activity in order to increase conflict. | |
His comments come a year after the Home Office banned the neo-Nazi group National Action, making it a criminal offence to belong to or invite support for the organisation. | His comments come a year after the Home Office banned the neo-Nazi group National Action, making it a criminal offence to belong to or invite support for the organisation. |
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Mr Wallace said he was concerned about the rising threat of the far right in the UK. | |
He said: “We are worried that it is increasing, and it is using all the grooming methods and the networking methods that we have seen used by other terrorist groups recently. | He said: “We are worried that it is increasing, and it is using all the grooming methods and the networking methods that we have seen used by other terrorist groups recently. |
“That is not good for our safety, and we have got to take steps to deal with it.” | |
Asked whether there is a danger that opposing extremists antagonise each other, increasing radical activity overall, he added: “Extremists on all sides of arguments would love to dominate the ground and antagonise their opponent, pushing them to the extreme to ultimately cause some form of conflict. | Asked whether there is a danger that opposing extremists antagonise each other, increasing radical activity overall, he added: “Extremists on all sides of arguments would love to dominate the ground and antagonise their opponent, pushing them to the extreme to ultimately cause some form of conflict. |
“That is part of the methodology of some of these people, and we have got to make sure that we counter that.” | |
He said that the Government always looks at all groups that are in danger of becoming a terrorist organisation, and would ban any that began to step over the line. | |
National Action was banned last December, following an assessment by the Home Office that it was “concerned in terrorism”. | |
Five serving members of the British army were arrested in September on suspicion of being members of the banned group. | |
West Midlands Police said at the time that they had been arrested “on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”. | West Midlands Police said at the time that they had been arrested “on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”. |
Another far-right group which is not currently proscribed, Britain First, was given a huge boost when President Donald Trump retweeted its propaganda videos to his almost 45 million followers. |
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