DAVID Cameron has accused groups that attack the Government’s Prevent scheme of “enabling terrorism”.
The ex-PM has backed a damning report that says misleading smears from left-wing campaigners, lawyers and Muslim groups are putting the public in danger.
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The Government’s flagship counter-extremism programme has been slammed for letting jihadis slip through the net and has been branded Islamophobic.
But Mr Cameron says: “We need to counter the anti-Prevent narrative. We need to show that delegitimising counter terrorism is, in essence, enabling terrorism.”
His comments come as think-tank Policy Exchange today publishes its report.
Mr Cameron warns in the report’s foreword “of ‘passive tolerance’, whereby society fails to interfere in minority communities for fear of appearing racist”.
Policy Exchange states: “Prevent is being undermined by Islamist campaigners and groups such as Mend, Cage and the Muslim Council of Britain.”
Mend said: “For Policy Exchange to claim legitimate critique of Prevent is an ‘extremist’ narrative is nonsense, and a thinly disguised attempt to shut down criticism from various Muslim groups.”
Cage said: “It’s indicative of Islamophobia in the UK when former PMs give their name to such open hostility.”
And MCB said: “The MCB has always repeatedly and loudly opposed all forms of terrorism.”
