Extremism in all its forms has been ignored for too long by British

The violent riots erupting across at least British 21 cities plunged our country into a national crisis. It is too early to assess the full impact of the past two weeks, including the wider social and economic ramifications.

Arson on hotels accommodating asylum seekers; attacks on homes, cars, businesses and mosques; assaults on members of the public and the police; solicitors and theatres forced to close; vandalism of Muslim graves; and damage to our international reputation are some of the consequences. And all this while the families of Bebe, Alice and Elsie, fatally stabbed in the Southport knife attack, are suffering unbearable grief.

This wanton destruction and utter disregard for communities is heinous and an assault on our country and on a free society. While grievances exist – both real and perceived – there cannot be any justification for such behaviour.

The debate about the causes of the riots will persist, and rightly so, but one factor that cannot be ignored is the role of far-right leaders and organisations who for years have cynically exploited tensions and incidents. From spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories, these agitators have persistently disseminated extremist propaganda in an attempt to radicalise and recruit people to their dangerous cause with the hope of mainstreaming their ideology and shifting the “Overton window”, the range of policies that people will accept at a given time. While careful not to fall foul of counter-terrorism laws, they have been at the forefront of inciting hatred against British minorities including Muslims and Jews – but also asylum seekers and refugees.

This was evidenced in my official reports. Extremism has evolved substantially over the past decade. Technological advancements, the lack of regulation of online platforms, the use of sophisticated tactics, the lack of legislation to curtail their dangerous activity are some of the reasons. The warning signs had been flashing red for some time and yet the last government did not build the necessary strategic approach to pre-empt and prevent such threats. It is imperative that the new government rectifies these chronic policy failings.

This includes publishing a much needed counter-extremism strategy; updating the hate crime strategy, overdue since 2020; addressing gaps in legislation and lack of an operational infrastructure as outlined in my 2021 report Operating with Impunity, co-written with Mark Rowley; ensuring that the Online Safety Act addresses extremist propaganda, some of which is being viewed millions of times because it is classified as “legal but harmful”; publishing a code of practice and a classification system for extremist conspiracy theories and disinformation to help guide Ofcom and online platforms. These measures can be implemented while protecting lawful freedom of expression.

My review this year into threats to social cohesion…