Far-right group Scottish Dawn banned under terror legislation

● Being a member of the group will be a criminal offence carrying jail term

A Scottish far-right group with links to neo-nazis has been banned under terrorism legislation.

The Home Office said an order outlawing extreme group National Action would be extended to cover Scottish Dawn and NS131 (National Socialist Anti-capitalist Action).

National Action became the first extreme right-wing group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016.

An order laid in parliament yesterday means National Action cannot operate as Scottish Dawn or NS131, which have been identified as alternative names the group has used.

When the order comes into effect, being a member of, or inviting support for, the organisations will be a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to ten years’ imprisonment.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “National Action is a vile, racist, homophobic and anti-semitic group which glorifies violence and stirs up hatred while promoting their poisonous ideology, and I will not allow them to masquerade under different names.

“By extending the proscription of National Action, we are halting the spread of a poisonous ideology and stopping its membership from growing – protecting those who could be at risk of radicalisation.

“Our priority as government will always be to maintain the safety and security of families and communities across the United Kingdom and we will continue to identify and ban any terrorist group which threatens this, whatever their ideology.”

According to its website, Scottish Dawn is a “patriotic society for the defence of our race and nation active across Scotland”.

National Action’s online propaganda material featured violent imagery and language, inferring that violent acts, including the attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the murder of Jo Cox MP, should be emulated.

Mark Rowley, the head of UK Counter-terrorism Policing, said: “We remain committed to tackling all toxic ideologies which threaten the public’s safety and are just as determined to stop right-wing terrorism as we are Islamist attacks against the UK.”