Racism among white supremacists is getting worse, John Denham to warn

Anti- BNP demonstrators protest against the appearance of
BNP leader Nick Griffin at the BBC Centre in London in October

Racism among white supremacist groups in Britain’s towns and cities is getting worse, a Cabinet minister will warn today

John Denham, the Communities secretary, will give warning that Muslims are not the only group which can breed extremism. Pointing to recent convictions of white supremacists, and a broader rise in overt racism, Mr Denham will say: “It is important that local Muslim communities do not feel that are being singled out if other forms of extremism are a threat in the area”.

The Home Office has already been developing a new programme, called Channel, to support young people who at risk of being drawn into white racist violence. But speaking in Birmingham today, Mr Denham will unveil a new £5million fund to deal with the spectre of rising white racism. He will say that every local area country should, where necessary, have a comprehensive strategy for tackling all forms of extremism, including, particularly white racist extremism.

The warning comes amid growing evidence of racial tension against ethic minorities by whites. Last month it was claimed that white supremacist gangs with names like The Aryan Brotherhood were building up support in British jails.

In September a neo-fascist dubbed the 'tennis ball bomber’ was jailed indefinitely at the Old Bailey today for plotting a terrorist campaign for white supremacy. In August, an American white supremacist was stopped from entering the country to attend a British National Party festival in Derbyshire, after the UK Border Agency said it believed his presence could stir up racial tension.

The BBC also came under fire in October for giving a platform to Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, on the BBC television’s panel show Questiontime.

The cash announced by Mr Denham today will be in addition to the Home Office’s Prevent strategy which targets extremism among Muslim communities through local councils, schools, community groups and police. The Communities Secretary will tell a conference of 1,000 Prevent workers to “completely reject accusations that Prevent is spying on Muslim communities” and insist that the strategy can only work if it is supported by local Muslim groups.

He will say: “Any programme that is surrounded by suspicion or misunderstanding simply will not work. Despite the significant progress and achievements that have been made in the first year of the programme, controversy, criticism and lack of clarity have unnecessarily limited its effectiveness."

Telegraph