Far-left protesters pose threat to Britain’s democracy, says top extremism adviser
FAR-LEFT protesters and activist groups are posing a threat to Britain’s democracy and the rule of law, a report warns.
The Government’s independent adviser on extremism, Lord Walney, said intimidatory mass demonstrations, such as the weekly pro-Palestine marches, harmed the country.
In a report, he argued protest organisers should be made to pay for police resources they drain.
He said activist organisations using criminal tactics, such as Just Stop Oil, should be restricted.
Lord Walney also suggested face coverings be banned at protests.
And he said a review should be conducted into whether judges are biased towards left-wing activists and progressive causes.
Lord Walney recommended a ban on schools appeasing local activist groups or religious institutions when teaching sex education or responding to blasphemy-related incidents.
Activists who accost MPs outside their homes must also face sanctions.
He said: “I find a worrying gap in our understanding of the extreme Left, whose activists do not routinely employ violent methods yet systematically seek to undermine faith in our parliamentary democracy and the rule of law.”
Responding to the report, PM Rishi Sunak said: “Extremism has no place in our society.
“Threatening or intimidating behaviour that disrupts ordinary hardworking people isn’t acceptable.”
It comes as Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove warned that a rise in anti-Jewish racism threatened to trigger a “breach in the West’s collective defence”, with Iran and China benefiting from anti-Israel narratives sparking divisions in the UK.