13/12/22
Mayor of London announces funding to counter hate and extremism
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced £725,000 of funding for grassroots community groups to empower them to counter extremism, tackle the rise in hate crime offences and keep Londoners vulnerable to radicalisation safe.
The funding comes from a fund of £2 million to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate.
The funding will be used by community and grassroots groups to run projects and educational activities to help empower Londoners of all ages to challenge racist, extremist and hateful views in their communities.
Since the launch in 2020, there have already been several projects designed to tackle hate and extremism including racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, incel ideology, religious extremism and misogyny.
Project that are already underway include Exit Hate UK’s ‘Peace Advocates’ project, which uses the lived experiences of former right-wing extremists to train Londoners to spot the early warning signs that someone could be becoming radicalised and the Groundswell Project which is educating Londoners about how to challenge hate within their communities and connects people with inspiring local events, charities and volunteering opportunities across the capital through its Kindness Mapper App.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We know that uncertainty and hardship can create fertile breeding grounds for hatred and division as extremists take the opportunity to prey on impressionable young Londoners.
“My continued investment in grassroots initiatives has already ensured that thousands of people in our city are actively engaged with projects and programmes working to strengthen our communities and encouraging everyone to reject extremist ideologies.
“This is part of my ongoing commitment to make our city fairer and safer for all so that more Londoners are better equipped to resist the threat of extremism.”
Commander Richard Smith, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “We’re becoming increasingly concerned about the number of young people who are being drawn into extremist and terrorist activity. The work we do though Prevent, in close partnership with others, including the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), is vital in helping to steer those who are vulnerable away from the dangers of extremists and terrorism. Whilst this work is vital, so too is the support of the public – in particular parents and carers – to be vigilant and get in touch and to act early, in order to prevent their loved-ones from going down a dangerous path towards radicalisation.”
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