Far-right activists banned from entering Britain

MPs have voted to take control of Commons business in an unprecedented move to try to find a majority for any Brexit option.

The government was defeated by 329 votes to 302 on the cross-party amendment, a majority of 27.

It means MPs will get a series of votes on Wednesday to find out what kind of Brexit they will support.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said there is no guarantee she will abide by their decision.

But Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had backed the amendment tabled by Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, said the government "must take the process seriously".

He added: "The government has failed and this House must, and I believe will, succeed."

He said MPs would want to find a consensus on the way forward, including a possible "confirmatory vote" on the PM's deal by the public - something Mrs May told MPs earlier she did not want because Remain would be on the ballot paper.

Far-right extremism poses the biggest security threat to northern England, a counter-terrorism expert has warned.

Speaking anonymously to BBC News, the former Home Office specialist said the threat of right-wing terrorism was not being taken seriously.

Last year, the highest number of right-wing referrals to counter-terrorism programme Prevent came from the north.

The government said it recognised far-right extremism was an emerging threat.

However, the UK's security services said extreme Islamist-based terrorism remained the country's most pressing national security concern.

In the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand, "Simon" - who worked as a counter-terrorism specialist for the Home Office - said the north of England faced a growing danger from far-right extremists and neo-Nazis.

"We've got former mill towns and cities across the north where this ideology, that white people are supposedly superior to everyone else, is growing and becoming more entrenched.

"I've no doubt that there are far-right extremists across the north who are planning to use violence to target Muslim or Jewish communities.

"They'll harbour the ambition to copy what happened in Christchurch.

He added: "We've already seen in Yorkshire how this extreme ideology has been used to target members of Parliament."

Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in her West Yorkshire constituency in 2016 by Thomas Mair, who was described in court as a lonely Nazi sympathiser.

Prof Matthew Feldman, director of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, said the threat of right-wing extremists carrying out an atrocity in the UK similar to the Christchurch shootings remained low.

"The biggest barrier to the far right, is the fact that in the UK we have extremely tight gun laws."

"The far-right do represent a threat to some communities in our country, but more often than not, these are people who are alone online, radicalising themselves, so they don't have a direct support network that could help them to gain access to weapons."

Statistics from the government's counter terrorism programme Prevent shows that regions in the north accounted for the highest number of initial referrals for right-wing extremism in 2017-18.

The number of religious or racially motivated hate crimes in England and Wales, increased from 37,417 in 2013-14 to 79,587 in 2017-18, according to the Home Office.

Labour MP Naz Shah said there was a definitive link between a rise in levels of hate crime and support for extreme far-right groups.

"We've seen across the country a rise in Islamaphobia and race hate crimes - this hatred is fuelling support of the far right," the Bradford West MP said.

"I've been talking about this problem for years, and it is a growing issue and one that I don't think the government is talking seriously enough."

Addressing the House of Commons earlier this week, Security Minister Ben Wallace acknowledged far-right extremism was a growing problem.

He added that the UK's counter-terrorism strategy was designed to address all forms of terrorism, whatever ideology it was driven by, and funding would be directed "wherever the threat emerges".

Det Ch Supt Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said his officers had brought a number of successful prosecutions against extreme right-wing suspects in recent years.

"We are committed to tackling all forms of toxic extremist ideology which has the potential to threaten public safety."

I don't want to please neo Nazis

Since I said I'd do Brexit and move on there's been a significant vote in the Commons.

Kurz said Austria was looking into dissolving the Identitarian Movement. "Our position on this is very clear, no kind of extremism whatsoever - whether it’s radical Islamists or right-wing extremist fanatics - has any place in our society" the Austrian Chancellor said.

Lip service.

Austria police arrest IS plot suspect in Vienna raid

Certainly - and facts show - this Austrian government (and even more, some state governments) is ... well, nearly on your line. (Fortunately not completely, thanks to the Austrian constitution, human rights and such)

Thank you for the detailed and well-founded explanation for your above reply.

The Emerging Populist Majority
Europe finds itself at crossroads as elections for the European Parliament approach. Patrick Sullivan looks at how the surge in support for Populist Parties could change the EU.

white power publications,

it makes Americans look like idiots.

As anyone can see right wing extremism is not the problem.

Yeah, everything is just peachy with right wing extremism.

Allowing the NRA to shoot up schools and indiscriminately butcher children when the majority wants sane gun laws is an affront to democracy and freedom.