Far-right extremism and rhetoric is coming from activists and unvetted councillors, but party leaders who peddle fear and rage can’t escape blame
Who are the hate preachers radicalising rightwing extremists? As the head of MI5 warns that anti-migrant haters are increasingly considering terrorist attacks, it is surely a question we must ask. After all, the role of hate preachers in Islamist terrorism has long been debated.
After the London Bridge Islamist terrorist attack in 2017, Nigel Farage demanded that Sadiq Khan – “as the first Muslim mayor of London” – declare that he would do all he could “to work with the Muslim community to drive out the extremist preachers from our mosques” and to fight radicalisation in schools and prisons. More recently, he suggested that Muslim parents in the United Arab Emirates feared sending their children to study in British universities “given the risk of radicalisation here”. His colleague Suella Braverman agrees. “There should be zero tolerance for hate preachers in mosques or radicalising imams in prisons,” she says.
Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist. His latest book, The Fall of the West, is out now. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.