Commission for Countering Extremism

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The use of this picture of heavily armoured and masked police pointing weapons at the camera was criticised as 'Orwellian' by the Guardian newspaper.

The Commission for Countering Extremism is a legal body set up by the British Conservative government in 2018 'to stamp out extremist ideology in all its forms'.

It is tasked with identifying and challenging extremism, advising ministers on new policies and promoting 'pluralistic British values'.

Controversy over choice of new extremism tsar

In January 2018 home secretary Amber Rudd announced she had appointed campaigner Sara Khan to lead the commission, prompting strong criticism from politicians such as Baroness Warsi and Labour MP Naz Shah as well as Muslim groups. [1]

Former Tory chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi called it 'a deeply disturbing appointment', tweeting:

Sara has unfortunately been a strong advocate of the government’s policy of disengagement, a policy which many, including members of the police and intelligence services, consider has damaged the important battle to engage Britain’s Muslim communities. For the commissioner to be effective the person had to be an independent thinker, both connected to and respected by a cross-section of British Muslims. Sara is sadly seen by many as simply a creation of and mouthpiece for the Home Office.”[2]


Contact

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Resources

Notes

  1. Jamie Grierson, Choice of new UK anti-extremism chief criticised as 'alarming', Guardian, 25 January 2018, accessed same day
  2. Jamie Grierson, Choice of new UK anti-extremism chief criticised as 'alarming', Guardian, 25 January 2018, accessed same day