Asked by
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with
their review of the counter-extremism strategy announced in
August.
The Minister of State, Home Office ( of Flint) (Lab)
The counter-extremism review has now concluded. My right
honourable friend the Home Secretary is considering the
recommendations made and will provide a further update to the
House in due course. Countering extremism in all its forms, and
protecting the public, remain key priorities for the
Government.
(Con)
I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer. Robin Simcox, the
Government's Commissioner for Countering Extremism, draws a
distinction between Islam, one of the three great Abrahamic
faiths, and Islamist extremism, which he describes as
“the key threat I am confronted with”,
and therefore a threat to all of us. Do the Government agree with
their Commissioner for Countering Extremism?
of Flint (Lab)
I am grateful to the noble Lord for his Question and for the way
he put it. The Commissioner for Countering Extremism makes
recommendations to the Government, and we will consider all those
recommendations in due course. There is a range of threats from
the extreme right, from Islamist terrorism and from other forms
of terrorism, and there is a real danger that people are
radicalised in ways that are new to the next generation. We keep
all things under review. The Government are cognisant of the fact
that there are many threats, and the one that the noble Lord
mentioned is very high on the list.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, in the last year there has been a 38% rise in attacks
against Muslims, and a 33% rise in attacks against people who are
Jewish—anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks. Will the Government
ensure that in their search for solutions to eradicate extremism,
leading figures are careful in the language they use and that
schools are not unduly targeting young children for early
indications of radicalisation?
of Flint (Lab)
The Government condemn all attacks against all communities,
because people have a right to live their lives according to
their own beliefs and religious outlooks. We will certainly look
to protect all communities. In fact, the Government have
allocated resources to support particularly vulnerable places
such as mosques and synagogues. We intend to ensure that we
prevent radicalisation, and that means a wide-ranging Prevent
programme, but we are sensitive to the fact that we do not wish
to stigmatise people at a very young age.
(LD)
My Lords, counterterrorism police say there is a clear link
between extremism and domestic abuse, not helped by the amount of
misogyny that young men are watching online. With one woman in
the UK killed by a man every three days, will the Government
commit to looking again at the Law Commission's recommendations
on hate crime to better protect women and girls?
of Flint (Lab)
My honourable friend is the Minister for
Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls, and she is
currently drawing up a range of strategies. If there is a
link—and I am not aware of one at this Dispatch Box today—between
the issues the noble Baroness has raised, that will form part of
my honourable friend's strategy. I hope the noble Baroness will
rest assured that addressing domestic violence and the
perpetrators of it is at the forefront of the Government's
agenda, and we plan to halve violence against women and girls
during the course of this Parliament.
(Con)
My Lords, as a former Minister for Countering Extremism at the
Home Office and subsequently at the FCDO, I wrestled with the
issue of co-ordination between those two departments on what I
would term imported extremism. The clear message that needs to be
sent internationally is to stop extremism at source. What
measures will be included in the review to ensure that those
seeking to come to our shores are prevented from doing so in the
first place?
of Flint (Lab)
I will take that as a representation on the outcome of the
review, because I cannot comment on the review today. There are
two aspects to extremism, the first of which is an external
threat, so the Government have to be cognisant of individuals.
That is why we have watch lists, security services and advice
looking at potential threats from abroad. Equally, the strategy
will be concerned with radicalisation at home—not just people
from communities that relate to the faith of Islam, but people
who might well be radicalised online by a range of sources, from
outside the UK or from inside. Counter-extremism is about looking
at the total envelope, at home and abroad, and the Government
will focus on that when the review's recommendations are brought
forward.
(Lab)
My Lords, the ISC, in its report on right-wing extremism,
highlighted the issue of young men, in particular, being
attracted by right-wing extremism online. Will my noble friend
outline what the Government are doing to ensure that platforms
take down content that is leading to the radicalisation of some
young people?
of Flint (Lab)
Again, my noble friend tempts me to produce the outline of the
review's conclusions. But we genuinely take this issue seriously.
When I was a Member of Parliament, a constituent of mine in a
small village in north Wales was badly attacked and injured by
someone with a machete who was radicalised by Nazi philosophy
online. That radicalisation is extremely important, and we need
to look at how we build up the stability of individuals to resist
that radicalisation and, as my noble friend said, stop that
radicalisation at source. If it comes from outside this country,
we need to take effective action through the security services
and others to close it down. I will give my noble friend further
information once the review is complete.
(Con)
Following on from the last question, what steps are being taken
to address the growing threat of online radicalisation,
particularly among young people, and to hold tech platforms
accountable for extremist content? In the context of online
radicalisation, how are this Government ensuring effective
co-ordination between departments, including the Home Office, the
Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice, in
delivering the counter-extremism strategy?
of Flint (Lab)
I am grateful for the question and the way in which the noble
Lord put it. Again, I am slightly constrained in outlining the
conclusions of the review before it has been completed. But let
me say to him that online extremism and online radicalisation,
whatever forum they come from, are extremely important issues and
will be a focus of government. Going back to the point my noble
friend made earlier, we have to look at a cross-government
strategy on this; what happens in communities through local
government departments, for example, is as important in
preventing radicalisation as what the Home Office and the
security services do, and we need to be aware of that. When the
conclusions are published and my right honourable friend the Home
Secretary has announced and opined on them, I will be able to
report back to this House in more detail.
Baroness of Buckley (Non-Afl)
My Lords, I am sure that Ministers and Members on the Government
Benches remember the election in July fondly. But lest we forget,
it was marred by ugly episodes of intimidation and harassment.
Can the Minister update us on promises from the Home Secretary to
specifically investigate, for example, the openly anti-Semitic
supporters and red paint-wielding pro-Palestine activists
hounding and abusing candidates and canvassers alike? In the
context of attempts to use fear to distort election results, can
the Minister outline which of the recommendations for
safeguarding democracy in the review by the noble Lord, , will be enacted, and when?
of Flint (Lab)
There is a Defending Democracy Taskforce comprising a number of
Ministers, led by my honourable friend , the Minister with responsibility for security and
counterterrorism. It is reviewing a range of issues and working
across government to ensure that the integrity of elections is
maintained. By “integrity” I mean elections being free of
interference from abroad and from intimidation at home. I hope
that will help satisfy the noble Baroness.
The Lord
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his and his department's
ongoing support for all faith communities that face extreme
behaviour and attacks on their buildings and property. Will the
Minister update the House on what material His Majesty's
Government are preparing in response to Martyn's law, and how
they plan to communicate clear and easily understood advice for
small volunteer groups, including faith groups, many of which
struggle with the demands of administration and compliance?
of Flint (Lab)
I am grateful to the right reverend Prelate for his question.
Martyn's law has been considered by and has cleared the House of
Commons, and the issues he raises have been debated there. I
expect it to come before this House in relatively short order,
probably—without breaking confidences—in the next three months.
There will then be opportunities to explore that, but we are
cognisant that the purpose of the measure is to ensure the safety
of the public. It has to be balanced with the safety and response
of the communities that organise events in those halls and other
facilities. On his first point, the Government will continue to
provide funding in order to offer protection to synagogues and
other religious buildings where threats are visible and real.