Prime Minister David Cameron vows to defeat terrorism and unveiled new measures to prevent radicalisation at schools and prisons…. reports Kaliph Anaz
The prime minister was addressing the House of Commons in the wake of attack in Tunisia.
Cameron announced new measures to make all public bodies – from schools to prisons to local councils – to take steps to identify and tackle radicalisation.
“On Wednesday a new statutory duty will come in to force requiring all public bodies – from schools to prisons to local councils – to take steps to identify and tackle radicalisation,” Cameron told the House.
“We will stand in solidarity with all those outraged by this event – not least the overwhelming majority of Muslims in this country and around the world.
Cameron said the new wave of violence is the creation of a minority of extremists who want hatred to flourish.
“For this is not the war between Islam and the West that ISIL want people to believe. It is a generational struggle between a minority of extremists who want hatred to flourish, and the rest of us who want freedom to prosper. And together we will prevail. We must be more intolerant of intolerance – taking on anyone whose views condone the extremist narrative or create the conditions for it to flourish.”
Cameron said the British government is working with UN, EU and the US to form Government of National Accord in Libya to deny ungoverned spaces for terrorists.
“We are working with UN, EU and American partners to support the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya,” Cameron said. “We will continue to do all we can to support national governments in strengthening weak political institutions and dealing with the ungoverned spaces where terrorists thrive.”
Cameron outlined his three-point strategy to defeat terrorism.
The British government will give police and security services the tools they need to combat terrorism.
“We have already increased funding for our police and intelligence services this year and legislated to give them stronger powers to seize passports and prevent travel,” Cameron said. “And over the next two days, our security forces and emergency services will conduct a major training exercise in London to test and refine the UK’s preparedness for dealing with a serious terrorist attack.
“But we must also do more to make sure the powers we give our security services keep pace with changes in technology. ISIL’s methods of murder may be barbaric, but its methods of recruitment, propaganda and communication use the latest technology. So we must step up our own efforts to support our agencies in tracking vital online communications, and we will be bringing forward a draft Bill to achieve this.”
The British government will co-ordinate with France and Germany to improve coastal surveillance and protection.
The next on agenda is to combat terrorism at its base.
“We must deal with this security threat at source – whether that is ISIL in Iraq and Syria or other extremist groups around the world,” Cameron said. “British aircraft are already delivering the second largest number of airstrikes over Iraq and our airborne intelligence and surveillance assets are assisting other countries with their operations over Syria.
“We are working with our UN, EU and American partners to support the formation of a Government of National Accord in Libya. And we will continue to do all we can to support national governments in strengthening weak political institutions and dealing with the ungoverned spaces where terrorists thrive.”
And finally, the action against elements which are fuelling terrorist ideology on British soil.
“We must take on the radical narrative that is poisoning young minds,” the prime minister said. “The people who do these things do it in the name of a twisted and perverted ideology which hijacks the Islamic faith and holds that mass murder and terror are not only acceptable but necessary. We must confront this evil with everything we have. We must be stronger at standing up for our values.
“And we must be more intolerant of intolerance – taking on anyone whose views condone the extremist narrative or create the conditions for it to flourish.