May: 'We are too tolerant of extremism'

Theresa May has said there is far too much tolerance of extremism in our country and that its time to be more robust in tackling it.


Delivering a statement outside Downing Street following the terror attack that has killed seven and injured 48, the Prime Minister said it was time to say "enough is enough".

She said that "identifying and stamping it out across the public sector and across society" would require "difficult and embarrassing" conversations.

Warning that the UK was facing a "new trend of terrorism" she described a copycat situation where "terrorism breeds terrorism and perpetrators are inspired to attack ... .by copying one another and often using crudest means of attack."

Mrs May said that this was the third terror attack on UK soil in three months and during that time, the intelligence services had disrupted five further plots.
In response to the wave of attacks, she listed four key points that needed to change in order to tackle the threat of extremism.
Firstly, she said we need to deflect the "evil ideology that is a perversion of Islam" and reinforced the need to defend our superior "pluralistic British values".

Secondly, she said we need to shut down the "safe space" the internet provides to terrorists, calling for international action to regulate cyberspace.
Thirdly, she said it was time for the county to have the "difficult and embarrassing conversations" needed to stamp out extremism.

Her fourth point was to review the country's counter-terrorism strategy in the light of the changing threat.
She also said that increased custodial sentences would be brought in for terrorism-related offences if necessary.

Appealing to the country to "come together" to tackle extremism she said "we need to live our lives not in a series of segregated, separated communities, but as one truly United Kingdom."

While she noted that General Election campaigning was suspended today as a mark of respect, she said violence should not be allowed to "disrupt the democratic process" and canvassing would resume tomorrow. - Sky News