Stamping out extremism in our communities

SIR – Since June 2014, our security services have stopped 18 terrorist plots inspired by Islamist extremism. The number of plots will continue to increase and the demand on our security services will grow unless we defeat the ideologies of hatred that turn our citizens away from the pluralistic British values that we all enjoy. We have to identify, challenge and stamp out the extremism that lurks in our communities.

While the Prime Minister is right to challenge internet service providers to play an active role in combating the spread of extremist material online, we must also look at the gatherings where extremism can spread offline.

The Government failed to ban the Islamic Human Rights Commission’s Al Quds Day march on June 18. This saw hundreds march with the flag of the terrorist group Hizbollah through the centre of London and chant “Isis and Zionists are the same”, with one speaker reported to blame “Zionists” for the horrendous Grenfell Tower disaster.

Islamist extremism and antisemitism go hand-in-hand. This weekend, the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, a UK taxpayer-owned building opposite Parliament, will host Palestine Expo, “the biggest social, cultural and entertainment event on Palestine to ever take place in Europe”.

The event is organised by Friends of Al-aqsa, despite the Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, writing to Friends of Al-aqsa over concerns that the organisation and those connected with it “have expressed public support” for Hamas and have “supported events at which Hamas and Hizbollah have been praised”.

The Government must back up its strong rhetoric by denying extremists of all kinds the platforms they require to divide our communities. We call on the Prime Minister to take all necessary steps to prevent Palestine Expo from taking place in taxpayerowned buildings, and prevent the future use of such buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, by groups that oppose our values and ideals.

Col Tim Collins

Andrew Percy MP (Con)

David T C Davies MP (Con) and six others; see telegraph.co.uk