Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Crackdown planned on extremist organisations
ORGANISATIONS that reject British values will not be allowed to sponsor migrant workers, the Home Secretary has announced as part of his plan to tackle extremism.
Sajid Javid used a speech on Friday to attack the London-based CAGE group, which campaigns to empower communities impacted by the war on terror.
He said it is one of the most prominent organisations that “rejects our shared values” and promised to revoke its licence to sponsor people coming into the country.
Mr Javid said: “When criticised, they claim the Government is antiMuslim, something they will no doubt say about me later today. I will act against those who seek to divide us whenever I can.
“So, I have amended the guidance
for sponsoring migrant workers. This will allow us to refuse or revoke sponsor licences when an organisation behaves in a way which is incompatible with British values.
“I can tell you I am planning to revoke CAGE’s licence, subject to representations. I will do all I can to ensure groups like CAGE are not trusted with the privilege of sponsorship.”
The Home Secretary said he has personally prevented eight extremists from entering the country, including a white supremacist, a black nationalist from the US, and hate preachers from a number of faiths.
Responding to his comments, CAGE spokesman Cerie Bullivant said: “Sajid Javid’s gratuitous mention of CAGE is an opportunistic deflection and dog whistle. Only yesterday his Government enshrined impunity for torturers while CAGE represents and demands justice for the survivors of this abuse.”
Mr Javid also criticised anti-Semitism in the Labour Party in his speech entitled Confronting Extremism Together, revealing Jeremy Corbyn threatened to sue him last year.
“The Leader of the Opposition even threatened to sue me, yes sue me, last year for calling out an antiSemitic tweet from one of his supporters,” he said.
“This has to end now because if the people sitting in Parliament don’t show moral leadership and tackle extremism, how can we expect the rest of society to?”
Mr Javid said he would take an “unashamedly tough” approach to those who spread poisonous ideologies as he announced he has asked his officials to start work on a comprehensive new counter-extremism strategy. He called for an honest “national conversation” about extremism and challenged antiimmigration rhetoric, which he says is stoking division and fear.
The son of Pakistani immigrants, he drew on his own experiences growing up in Rochdale.
“Growing up in the ‘70s, looking like this, extremism was part of my life. I would change my route to school to avoid members of the National Front. I watched my mum, time and time again, scrub the word ‘Paki’ from the front of our shop and, rightly or wrongly, as a child I punched a bully who used the same racist slur to my face.”