“Now is the time for us all to unite against the forces of separatism,” he said.
London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday his government was committed to putting in place appropriate tools to deal with a rise in extremist activity seeking to hijack the country’s democratic institutions.
Replying to Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, the British Indian leader referred to reports of a new definition of extremism to be tabled in Parliament on Thursday and stressed that the new strategy would not affect freedom of expression. The new measures are expected to ban groups or individuals that promote ideologies based on intolerance, hatred or violence, and spell out which groups and individuals the UK government can support or fund.
Mr Sunak said: “There has actually been an increase in extremist activity seeking to hijack our democratic institutions… It is important that we have the tools to deal with this threat.”
“This is absolutely not an attempt to silence those with private, peaceful beliefs, nor does it affect free speech, which we here in the House will always work to protect,” he said.
It comes after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell, issued a joint statement warning that the newly expanded definition of extremism posed risks to the country’s Muslim communities.
Their statement reads: “The proposed new definition inadvertently threatens not only free speech, but also the rights to worship and peaceful protest – hard-won rights that form the fabric of civilized societies.
“Crucially, it risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities, who are already suffering increasing levels of hatred and abuse.” Senior clergy in the Church of England said they were concerned about the impact of the proposed strategy on British public life.
“Britain has a proud history of welcoming people from all walks of life and celebrating diversity. We are a community of communities. Our leaders should cherish and promote this and pursue policies that bring us together, rather than risk risk dividing us,” they added.
Earlier this month, Sunak delivered an impassioned speech at 10 Downing Street in London, warning that the country’s democratic and multi-faith values were under threat from extremists. The strategy is expected to be detailed on Thursday.
He said: “It is time for us all to unite to fight the forces of division and defeat this poison. We must face the extremists who divide us and encourage each other.”
“We will also take action to prevent those who aim to undermine its values from entering this country. The Home Secretary has instructed that if visa holders choose to engage in hate speech in response to protests or seek to intimidate people, we will cancel their permission to be here rights,” Mr Sunak added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
