UK authorities have just been accused of “inflating far-right threat to appease critics who say they focus too much on jihadis.” Neil Basu, in speaking about online “Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism” as if they were equivalent threats, is once again doing this.
In any case, he will never “stop people becoming terrorists in the first place” as long as he continues to pretend that the reason why they become terrorists in the first place is other than what it is.
“UK counter-terrorism chief says online extremism cannot be policed as Covid provides ‘perfect storm,’” by Nicky Harley, The National, January 8, 2021:
The head of the UK’s counter-terrorism police warned online extremism “cannot be policed” as Covid-19 is providing the “perfect storm” for terrorists.
Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu said action needs to be taken to prevent police being overwhelmed.
In its latest report, the UN’s counter-terrorism committee said nations needed to be aware that terrorist groups are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic and using online games in a bid to target children in lockdown.
The UN’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) revealed it had seen an increase in the online radicalisation of children and urged countries to be alert.
Mr Basu said extremism has become too widespread online and that the combination of lockdown, isolation, mental illness and increasing time spent online created a “perfect storm”.
“When you look at the volume of material which is horrific and shouldn’t be allowed online, it is really distressing for a lot of people, the volume is so high it cannot be policed,” he told The Independent newspaper. “It would have to be prevented and that is the most important thing.”
The new Online Harms Bill, which proposes internet regulation that would force companies to remove material or face fines, is currently being considered by the UK parliament.
Mr Basu said this bill is “fundamental” to combating the issue.
“The thing that has always been my biggest concern is the growth of online radicalisation,” he said. “It has allowed conspiracy theories and existing Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism, and all kinds of other single-issue terrorism, to thrive 24/7 internationally at the speed it takes to press a button.”
He said the “cure” to tackling terrorism is to stop radicalisation.
“The way to stop the very high threat is to stop people becoming terrorists in the first place,” he said.
“Too much emphasis is on people coming out of prison, people returning from abroad and whether we can deradicalise them.
“That isn’t the cure for this. The cure for this is getting them before radicalisers really get to grips with them, and steering them to a different path.”…
CogitoErgoSum says
Well, there is plenty of violence online with the point of many games being to kill as many people as you can before you are killed yourself. Supposedly it’s all in good fun. I guess it would be fine if it were just limited to taking place online because you can always press the re-set button and start all over again. If people would just leave the violence in the imaginary world online maybe it would be a better world. Take your soma pill and chill out. Maybe someday we can all live in our own private Utopias online and life will be wonderful … especially with further improvements to virtual reality.
CogitoErgoSum says
As long as we pay our subscription fee to our Tech Overlords, that is.
toomanyhobbies says
yet they censor the president….
jim says
right-wing terrorist is often a code word for conservatives who do not want their country overrun by people from a hostile culture that want to take the country away from people and putit under another totalitarian dictatorship.
Robert McCormack says
Well said sir.
very old white guy says
True
Nolan says
The threat from right wingers maybe exaggerated but it still exists, and British authorities are right to be worried about it
gravenimage says
Examples?
Westman says
Is he thinking about the UK BLM riots of 2020?
Mason Stewart says
Another so called “humanitarian” migrant rescue ship is going out
https://www.fdesouche.com/2021/01/11/mediterranee-locean-viking-retourne-en-mer-et-se-dirige-a-nouveau-vers-les-cotes-libyennes/
Mason Stewart says
‘Some Things Never Change’: Over 100 Illegal Boat Migrants Brought Ashore in Britain Despite Brexit
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/01/11/some-things-never-change-over-100-illegal-boat-migrants-land-in-britain-despite-brexit/
Also sent these in as news tips
gravenimage says
Thanks for these disturbing links, Mason.
Westman says
“He said the ‘cure’ to tackling terrorism is to stop radicalisation.”
It is impossible to stop Islamic “radicalisation” and the subsequent terrorism because the source is the Quran, itself. If the UK banned the Quran it would just create more terrorism. The intractable mistake was allowing Islam into the UK. It’s simply too late.
Islam planted its seeds in the UK like Hemlock, the poisonous plant used to kill Socrates. It grows very rapidly on a flexible hollow stalks, shading out competing plants and producing tiny grain-of-sand seeds that easily disperse in wind, animals fur, stuck on tires, on clothing, etc. At first Hemlock doesn’t appear to be anything threatening, like an attractive fern, and then suddenly grows inches a day in height to as much as 7ft. It tends to create islands of growth that expand with each generation of seeds. The seeds that migrate then start new islands of Hemlock; no-go areas to other plants.
The seed of “radical” Islam is the Quran. The Hadiths contribute yet only the Quran claims to be the words of Allah.
mortimer says
Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu should ask the government of UK to deprogram jihadists by introducing them to the modern scholarship that shows the Koran is not perfectly preserved and thus is of human development.
Once jihadists see the Koran is manmade, they leave Islam instantly.
gravenimage says
Mortimer, you have never shown where Muslims have been “deprogrammed” against their will.
Walter Sieruk says
Neil Basn who os the counter -terrorism “expert” of the United Kingdom is obviously a useless man in protection of the people who are citizens of the UK and has nothing to offer of any value.
Basn has is very ignorant and has little knowledge and terribly lacks wisdom when it comes to the problem of Muslim terrorism He has revealed this about himself by his fool words he usde online.
First, He used the bogus word “Islamist” which is fake word the was made up as a coverup for all the mass murderer destruction that occurred on the day of September 11, 2001. that was committed by nineteen Muslim jet hijackers which had been inspired into mass murderous action by Islam with its violent and deadly jihad that involves mass murder on a larger scale.
The problem of Islamic terrorism committed by Muslim terrorists because they were and are inspired so do so because of the religion of Islam which has the violence and killing of the jihad in it
So as part of coverup to hide the dangerous ,violent and deadly essence of Islam from becoming known to Americans and all other Westerners the false words ” Islamist” and “Islamism”: had been fabricated in the post 9/11 times .
So now it’s a just ” Islamists who practice terrorism because they are influenced by “Islamism.”
So it’s no longer the clear accurate and descriptive statement “Muslim terrorists who engage in the violence and mass murders because to become violent and deadly jihadist because they are influenced and inspired by Islam.”
This religious politically correct “new speak” intellectually dishonest smokescreen to cover up and hide the truth is awful.
Second, when Basn spoke online about the dangers of “right-wing terrorism” he was making a feeble and obvious attempt to distract people and keep them from “keeping their eyes on the ball .” Which is Islamic terrorism engaged in by MUslim terrorists,
Baan must be a terrible man.
gravenimage says
UK counterterror top dog: Volume of ‘Islamist and right-wing terrorism’ online ‘is so high it cannot be policed’
………………..
Well, this first is true–the second is rather thin on the ground, though…
Jayell says
It’s generally presumed that Basu holds his current appointment as part of a Government box-ticking exercise, along with with another high-ranking London police officer with a very apt surname beginning with ‘D’. To maintain his credibility in the ‘right circles’, Basu has to publicly subscribe to the twin mythologies of so-called ‘islamism’ (doesn’t exist apart from ‘islam’, of course) and so-called ‘right wing terrorism’ (which isn’t ‘right wing’ or indeed any ‘wing’ at all, isn’t organised in any way, is comparatively minor and, according to certain informed sources, barely accounts for about 10% of so-called ‘terrorist’ activities).
It would be very interesting indeed to see Basu’s detailed explanation of his claims, with comprehensive, verifiable and unedited facts and figures including a convincing explanation of the differences between ‘islam’ and islamism’ and how the latter justifies criminal terrorism whilst the former doesn’t, and verifiable evidence of any established ‘right wing’ entity that is posing a threat to UK society that might be in any way comparable to that already seen from the disciples of islam. Such an explanation would probably be as long a time coming as that infamous Government report into the Grooming Gangs, which still hasn’t seen the light of day because the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson aren’t available for the editing work.
Henry Mansfield says
As an American reading an article like this, I can infer that a working definition of ‘extremist’ for many is a person that reads founding documents literally.
terry sullivan says
is basu moslem?
Michael Copeland says
He is of Indian origin, “son of a doctor from Kolkata and nurse from Wales”. No more information available at this source.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/uks-indian-origin-counter-terror-chief-calls-for-religious-inclusivity/articleshow/70582398.cms
Michael Copeland says
“all kinds of other single-issue terrorism”……
Oh yes?
Can he name three? He did say “all”, after all.