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Leaders must commit to challenging hateful extremism

Sara Khan, the government’s independent advisor on extremism, has called on the leaders of the three main political parties to make a clear commitment to challenging hateful extremism.

Following the recent release of the Commission for Countering Extremism’s report Challenging Hateful Extremism, Khan has written to Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson arguing that the ‘country’s response to hateful extremism is weak, insufficient and often ineffective’.

The aforementioned report, published in October, lifted the lid on the deep harm to individuals, communities and society caused by those who incite or amplify hatred, engage in persistent hatred or who make the moral case for violence. Khan describes this as hateful extremism, and argues that we need to be quicker to identify hateful extremism, get better at protecting victims and do more to challenge hateful extremists themselves.

Polling carried out by the Commission for Countering Extremism last year found that 73 per cent of people want to see more done to challenge extremism.

In the letter Sara Khan sets out the threat of hateful extremism: “Hateful extremism is undermining the social fabric of our country and is having a devastating impact on the lives of individuals, communities and the country as a whole. Having gathered extensive research from across the country over the last 18 months, my report Challenging Hateful Extremism makes clear inaction is quite simply not an option. My independent Commission has put forward recommendations for how to do more to tackle it that your party should adopt in government.”

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