'˜Growing concerns' about far-right after Jo Cox murder, says counter terrorism leader
Detective Superintendent Nik Adams, the North East regional lead for the Government’s anti-radicalisation Prevent strategy, said there was a “real risk” the threat posed to the public by far-right extremists could grow “if left untapped and unchallenged”.
Last month, Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced that National Action, a neo-Nazi and British nationalist youth movement with a strong presence in Yorkshire, would be the country’s first banned far-right group.
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Hide AdDet Supt Adams said: “That reflects the growing concern about the risks that extreme right-wing groups pose.”
He added: “Historically what you would see from the far-right was public disorder, public protest, that would have an impact on community cohesion, people’s sense of wellbeing and belonging.
“That sort of behaviour over time has become more concerning and when you layer on things like the murder of Jo Cox, for which Thomas Mair was convicted a few weeks ago, who was vocal in his extreme right-wing views, whilst we are not looking at intelligence suggesting we have got a growing number of Thomas Mairs, it is a concern that if left untapped and unchallenged, there is a real risk that could grow and we could see further incidents.”
His warning came as details emerged of efforts by Prevent officials to deter a 14-year-old West Yorkshire boy from being drawn into terrorism after he started expressing anti-Muslim views at school.
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