Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Green Excerpts
Monday 6th July 2015

(8 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Victoria Atkins Portrait Victoria Atkins (Louth and Horncastle) (Con)
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11. What steps her Department is taking to tackle extremism.

Chris Green Portrait Chris Green (Bolton West) (Con)
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14. What steps her Department is taking to tackle extremism.

Theresa May Portrait The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mrs Theresa May)
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The terrible events in Tunisia show the importance of our work to defeat terrorism and extremism at home and overseas. We have already increased counter-terrorism funding, and last week a new duty came into effect on public servants to tackle radicalisation. We are determined to go further, and our counter-extremism strategy will set out a wide-ranging response, part of which will be implemented by the forthcoming counter-extremism Bill. Together, we must defeat these pernicious and poisonous ideologies.

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Theresa May Portrait Mrs May
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I thank my hon. Friend for raising that issue, and she is absolutely right. Our counter-extremism strategy will tackle extremism in all its forms, not just Islamist extremism but, for example, neo-Nazi extremism. I am sure we are all of one view that the anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hatred that neo-Nazis perpetrate is evil and wicked, and that we must do something about it.

Chris Green Portrait Chris Green
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Preachers of hate want to foster a victim mentality in our community that they can then exploit. What is the Secretary of State doing to remove their platform?

Theresa May Portrait Mrs May
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There is not a simple answer to that issue, which is why the counter-extremism strategy will be comprehensive and will work across various aspects of Government. This is not just about government; we want to work with communities and society to ensure that we develop more support for, and understanding of, the values that we share. We need to promote those values and ensure that those who seek to divide us are not able to do so.