By Sadiq Khan, Major of London, The independent, 12 May 2022

 

LONDON, 17 May. - (ANA) - For too long, the growth of both violent and non-violent far-right extremism in the west has been downplayed as a series of isolated events or separate national political shifts, writes Sadiq Khan Mayor of London in the Independent.

 

 Cities and countries around the world need to wake up and recognise that this is an evolving global danger which we must unite against with a concerted international effort. In recent years, we have seen a surge in far-right terrorism in the west, driven mostly by anti-government, anti-Muslim and white supremacist extremists. 

 

We have endured a series of deadly attacks in Europe, including in Sweden, Germany, Norway, Croatia, France and Italy, and a number of shootings in America. In the United Kingdom, the security services have disclosed that nearly 30 per cent of terrorist plots being disrupted are linked to far-right extremism. 

 

Two attacks that could sadly not be stopped include a van being driven into a group of Muslims outside a London Mosque in 2017, and the murder of my good friend, Jo Cox, who was a serving member of parliament. As well as these violent attacks, we are also seeing a resurgence of extremist views and ideology infiltrating mainstream politics.

 

It’s moving from the fringes to the forefront, with nativist populist parties and politicians gaining strength in the US and across Europe, winning power and influence in places that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. These far-right movements are a clear threat to our hard won rights and freedoms and the values that have defined our liberal democratic societies for many decades. 

 

They are using the same divisive tropes of the fascists of the 20th century to garner support: pitting their own citizens against one another, picking on minority groups and the marginalised to manufacture an enemy, and constructing lies to stoke fear and attack the fundamental pillars of a healthy democracy – equality under the law, the freedom of the press and an independent justice system.    - (ANA) -

 

For the full article, visit: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/far-right-extremism-islamophobia-cost-of-living-b2077323.html?mc_cid=d021616f65&mc_eid=40d90e4282

 

AB/ANA/17 May 2022 — - -