Internet is a fertile breeding ground for terrorism – MPs

Published on Monday 6 February 2012 00:36

WEBSITES should be better monitored and material that promotes violent extremism should be removed, MPs said today.

A nine-month inquiry by the Commons home affairs select committee concluded the internet is a “fertile breeding ground for terrorism” and plays a part in most, if not all, cases of violent radicalisation.

Internet service providers should be more active in monitoring sites and the government should work with them to develop a code of practice for removing material that could lead to radicalisation, the report said.

It comes as four radical Islamists will be sentenced this week for plotting a pre-Christmas terror attack on the London Stock Exchange after being inspired by the recently killed extremist Anwar al-Awlaki.

The inquiry found that the internet played a greater role in violent radicalisation than prisons, universities or places of worship, and “was now one of the few unregulated spaces where radicalisation is able to take place”.

But it added that a “sense of grievance” was key, and direct personal contact with radicals was a “significant factor”.

The government’s counter-terrorism strategy should show “the British state is not antithetical to Islam”, the committee said.

Keith Vaz, its chairman, said: “The conviction last week of four men from London and Cardiff radicalised over the internet, for a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange and launch a Mumbai-style atrocity on the streets of London, shows that we cannot let our vigilance slip.

“More resources need to be directed to these threats and to preventing radicalisation through the internet and in private spaces. These are the fertile breeding grounds for terrorism.”

Mr Vaz went on: “The July 7 bombings in London, carried out by four men from West Yorkshire, were a powerful demonstration of the devastating and far-reaching impact of home-grown radicalisation.

“We remain concerned by the growing support for non-violent extremism and more extreme and violent forms of far-right ideology.”

He added that “a policy of engagement, not alienation” would prevent radicalisation and called for the government’s counter-radicalisation strategy Prevent to be renamed Engage.

The committee also called for better information-sharing between prison bosses, the police and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) following the release of prisoners who have been convicted of terror offences.

But although several convicted terrorists have attended prisons and universities, “there is seldom concrete evidence to confirm that this is where they were radicalised”, it added.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This is an interesting report and we will consider its findings.”

But Nick Pickles, director of civil liberties and privacy group Big Brother Watch, said: “Whatever the reason for blocking online content, it should be decided in court and not by unaccountable officials.

“There is a serious risk that this kind of censorship not only makes the internet less secure for law-abiding people, but drives underground the real threats and makes it harder to protect the public.”

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vistaero

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:51 PM

Another False Flag, the same old story, the TERRORIST BOGY MAN. The Corrupt Western Governments control what is printed in the Press, but so far they have not been able to control the Internet, so to convince the 99% of the brain dead public that it is a threat to them, they need to bring out a False Flag, the BOGY MAN THE TERRORIST. Remember weapons of Mass Destruction, Chemical Weapons, Supporting Terrorists. Corrupt Governments again censoring everything we see, hear and read to protect their own criminality and corruption.

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MrsPaul

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:03 PM

“We remain concerned by the growing support for non-violent extremism and more extreme and violent forms of far-right ideology." I am concerned that somehow non-violent extremism is seen as a concern at all. That label could be applied too easily. It could be applied to any passionate yet non-violent proponents of needed changes. Very scary that this was lumped in with loonies who think blowing up markets and public transport is right. I think you can say someone is a non-violent extremist if their views are not politically correct and are therefore unfashionable, but then every person who, for example, prefers to have a male, heterosexual pastor, would have to be labelled a non-violent extremist. The list of people on 'their' list would grow very long using that sort of criteria for inclusion, and frankly, it's scary to think about. Makes posting on any current affairs discussion forum dicey-one might find themselves listed merely for expressing too conservative (or liberal) a view.

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Willie Boy

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 09:54 AM

Time the BBC was shut down. It's an organ of propaganda, political bias and censoship reminiscent of 1960's Pravda.

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usernameandpassword

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 07:43 AM

This committee has really hit the nail on the head. When are the public ever gping to understand that quality law enforcement starts and end with committees like this? We need more MPs surfing the internet and less bobbies on the beat. These findings represent e key development which really drives the anti-terrorism debate forward.

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Family guy

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 07:40 AM

So the MP's want to regulate the internet? Ok, but I'd like to regulate the MP's meaning if I don't like what they say or do, I can have them removed immediately.

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Guga

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 04:52 AM

Maybe our politicians should get their act together and totally block the entry into this country of people of a certain religious persuasion from certain well known terrorist hotspots. They should also act by ignoring EU rubbish rules and deport all convicted terrorists and criminals from this country at the end of their gaol sentences. They might also consider exiling all the Whigs, trendy lefties and tree huggers to South Georgia before they totally wreck the country.

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