The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a hashtag campaign to encourage action against hate speech. He launched the #endthehate campaign through a video on his personal and mayoral Twitter feed in conjunction with his keynote address to SXSW 2018, and also called on social media companies to do more to combat it.
Mark Rowley, Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer, has criticised technology and social media firms for their lack of commitment in countering the online terrorist threat. Isis’ recent emphasis on supporters carrying out ‘lone wolf attacks’ has made the phenomenon an increasing reality, and some Islamic communities are taking theological steps to counter this threat.
The event, run by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, brought together Muslim and non-Muslim delegates from around the world to discuss the global issues of countering extremism and tackling Islamophobia.
Nick Cohen discusses how the British left-wing fail to support, and sometimes undermine, liberal progressive Muslims who are fighting inequalities endorsed by culture and religion in their community. But his argument fails to appreciate the nuances of the current debates surrounding British Muslim communities.
17 year-old Lloyd Gunton was reportedly radicalised online, where he viewed Isis propaganda and accessed guides on carrying out terrorist attacks. Security services and ministers have issued warnings about “remote radicalisation”, which is thought to be becoming more common with the decline of Isis.
