£5m drive to root out extremist ‘poison’

DAVID CAMERON today unveils a £5million drive to help root out the ‘poison’ of extremist ideology in British communities.

On the eve of the launch of the Government’s long-awaited counterextremism strategy – billed as a plan to create a ‘national coalition’ against radicalisation – the Prime Minister said the money for local campaigns and charities would help prevent the ‘seed of hatred being planted in people’s minds’.

The strategy is expected to include closer working between internet firms and police to remove online propaganda, employing systems used to combat child abuse images.

There is also set to be a crackdown on extremism in prisons and universities, as well as incentives for schools to ensure pupils are better integrated.

Mr Cameron, who used his Tory conference speech this month to deliver a blistering attack on ‘passive tolerance’ of extremism, said: ‘We need to systematically confront and challenge extremism and the ideologies that underpin it, exposing the lies and the destructive consequences it leaves in its wake. We have to stop it at the start – stop this seed of hatred even being planted in people’s minds and cut off the oxygen it needs to grow.’

Mr Cameron said his new strategy would show that the Government had a comprehensive approach to ‘tackle this poison’.

Downing Street said the £5million would be used this year to ‘build a national network of grassroots organisations’.