Knowsley is the suburb of Merseyside where a recent anti refugee protest turned into a riot outside a hotel housing asylum seekers. Amid violent scenes a police van was set on fire and 15 arrests made. This follows the firebombing last October of a processing centre for migrants in Dover.
Back in 2016, the MP Jo Cox was murdered by Thomas Mair to advance the cause of white supremacism; while in 2019 neo Nazi Jack Renshaw was jailed for life for plotting to kill another MP Rosie Cooper – Renshaw, was a former member of the BNP and the now banned terrorist organisation National Action.
Despite these and other incidents a review of the government’s anti terror Programme Prevent by William Shawcross suggested that too much emphasis was being placed on radicalisation by the far right…not enough on Islamist extremism. His findings have been accepted by the Home Office.
Does he have a point? Or is Shawcross in danger of downplaying one risk, while exaggerating another.
Adrian Goldberg hears from Labour MP Afzal Khan, Professor John Holmwood a sociologist from Nottingham University and in a moment Zoe Gardener a long time migration rights campaigner.
Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White.
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