Far-right threat must be tackled, says MP

The threat of right wing extremism must be tackled alongside Islamist terror to stop the UK becoming polarised, a former counter terrorism and security minister has said. Delyn MP David Hanson’s words came following the arrest of five people on suspicion of being members of a banned neo-Nazi group. Campaigners said they were dealing with more incidents of hate crimes towards people from ethnic minorities. Hanson said he had persistently increased the need to tackle right-wing extremism with the UK government since a neo-Nazi attack in Flintshire, the BBC has reported. He said tackling far right extremism was crucial due to the threat of online radicalisation. His comments came after four serving members of the army were arrested under anti-terror laws on suspicion of being members of banned neo-Nazi group National Action. Hanson told the BBC: “[There is] a need to focus not just on Islamic extremism, which is absolutely important to do so, but also to look and make sure we are examining right wing, far right extremism, because the last thing we want in this country is to have a polarised position where we have both Islamic terrorism and right wing extremist terrorism. “We are a civilised society we cannot tolerate terrorism, whether it comes from Islamic extremists or far right extremists, and the government is right to take action on both.”