May: New extremism powers needed

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 30 September 2014 | 16.51

30 September 2014 Last updated at 10:47

A future Conservative government would seek new powers to ban extremist groups and curb the activities of "harmful" individuals, Theresa May is to say.

Banning orders and "extreme disruption" orders will feature in the party's 2015 election manifesto, the home secretary will tell the Tory Party conference.

People could be stopped from speaking at public events and their social media use limited under "extremism ASBOs".

Mrs May is also expected to promise police greater access to internet data.

She is among a number of high-profile speakers on the third day of the Tory conference, with Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan also due to take the stage.

The home secretary will say her department will take responsibility for a new counter-extremism strategy across government to address "the full spectrum of extremism".

Prime Minister David Cameron told BBC Breakfast: "The problem that we have had is this distinction of saying we will only go after you if you are an extremist that directly supports violence.

"It has left the field open for extremists who know how not to step over the line. But these are people who have radicalised young minds and led to people heading off to Syria or Iraq to take part in this ghastly slaughter."

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said extremists "poison young minds" and encourage them to travel to warzones abroad.

The battle against extremism would be fought "for a generation", he said, with extremists coming out of Nigeria, Yemen and Afghanistan and young people being radicalised in universities and prisons.

Internet data 'vital'

Among other things, the new strategy will seek to bolster Islamic institutions that operate in a way which is "compatible" with British values and look to improve vetting procedures to prevent extremists being appointed to positions of authority, including in schools.

Allegations that schools in Birmingham had been infiltrated by extremists led to a furious political row this summer between Mrs May and former Education Secretary Michael Gove over how best to deal with the roots of extremist ideologies.

The dispute led to the resignation of Mrs May's special adviser while Mr Gove - who has since become chief whip - apologised to his cabinet colleague for publicly questioning the action being taken by the Home Office.

Mrs May is also expected to pledge that a future Conservative government would give police and intelligence agencies more powers to access internet communications data, according to BBC political correspondent Carole Walker.

She said: "She has frequently argued internet data is vital for tackling terrorism and organised crime, and wants the police and intelligence services to access details of when and where phone calls and emails are sent - not their content."

'Hard end'

Mr Cameron has warned the Islamic State insurgency in Syria and Iraq poses a direct threat to the UK, with 500 British jihadists believed to have travelled to the two countries, while the UK's threat level has been recently raised from substantial to severe.

Mrs May will tell activists in Birmingham that the government has sought to address the twin threats of violent and non-violent extremism since 2010, but the focus of its counter-radicalisation strategy has been on the "hard end" of extremism.

The government's new approach, she will suggest, will be more comprehensive and focused on "undermining and eliminating extremism in all its forms".

It will bring together existing measures, such as the statutory duty for public bodies to have a counter-radicalisation strategy and enhanced powers for the Charity Commission to close down charities that are a front for extremist activity, with new efforts to improve awareness and training about the risks posed by extremism.

'Inciting hatred'

The Home Office will take the lead across government by creating a central hub of knowledge and expertise to advise other departments, the public sector and civil society about the risks of extremism, particularly of infiltration.

But Mrs May will say a future Tory government will push for more powers to deal with extremist groups which spread hate but do not break existing laws.

At the moment, organisations can only be banned if there is evidence of links to terrorism.

Under the Tories' new proposals, groups that cannot currently be proscribed could be subject to banning orders should ministers "reasonably believe" that they intend to incite religious or racial hatred, to threaten democracy or if there is a pressing need to protect the public from harm, either from a risk of violence, public disorder, harassment or other criminal acts.

The granting of a ban, which would be subject to immediate review by the High Court, would make membership or funding of the organisation concerned a criminal offence.

Broadcasting ban

The police would also be given new powers to apply to a Court to impose extreme disruption orders on individuals, using the same criteria.

This could result in those targeted being stopped from taking part in public protests, from being present at all in certain public locations, from associating with named people, from using of conventional broadcast media and from "obtaining any position of authority in an institution where they would have influence over vulnerable individuals or children".

Breach of the restrictions - which would be time limited - would be a criminal offence.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he did not think some of the measures were sufficiently tough, and called on Mrs May to reintroduce powers to relocate terror suspects to other parts of the country.

"I'm very surprised the home secretary is not announcing the introduction, or re-introduction, of relocation, which operated under control orders and which has been supported by David Anderson QC, who is now independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, and Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, among others," he said.

Conservative MP Dominic Raab told BBC News there was already a "very wide criminal basis" to prosecute extremist groups.

"I think you need to be very wary about criminalising thoughts and views", he said.

Labour has questioned the effectiveness of the Prevent strategy, saying all individuals returning from the Middle East should have to undergo a programme of de-radicalisation.

It has called for the government to reintroduce control orders scrapped in 2011.

Emma Carr, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: "In a democratic country, it is wholly wrong for people to be labelled an 'extremist' and face having major restrictions placed on their freedom without facing a due legal process and a transparent and accountable system."


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