'Extreme right infiltrating politics' says former Met terror chief

Violent, wicked, right-wing extremist groups are infiltrating mainstream politics and generating credibility, the Metropolitan Police's former head of counter terrorism has warned.

Sir Mark Rowley, who stepped down from his role as the Met's Assistant Commissioner and the UK’s national lead for counter terrorism policing this year, said that Neo-Nazi, white supremacist groups are repackaging their intolerances and attaching them to mainstream political debate.

He also sad that there is a real danger that these groups will have more scope to get stronger, if given platforms.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Mr Rowley said: "For the first time since the second world war, we have a domestic prescribed terrorist group. It's right-wing, it's Neo-Nazi, it's proudly white supremacist, portraying a violent and wicked ideology.

"If we sleepwalk into it, then there is a real danger we give them more scope to get stronger.

"They're repackaging their aggressive intolerance and sometimes thinly disguised advocation of violence. They're repackaging that and attaching it to mainstream political debate.

"That's not quite the same as mainstreaming, but what it does mean is that collectively we need to be alert to that, whatever leadership or political or journalistic position we are in, we need to be alert to that and try and guard against it.

"Because otherwise what we're doing is letting these extremist groups infiltrate mainstream politics and generate credibility, which then lets them present themselves as representatives of 'white Britain' or 'Muslim Britain', which they certainly aren't."

Earlier this year, American President Donald Trump sparked huge controversy after retweeting videos from far-right group Britain First. 

The three videos were originally published by the group's deputy leader Jayda Fransen at the end of 2017, and showed unverified footage of a "Muslim migrant" attacking a Dutch man on crutches, a man smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary and a man being pushed from the top of a building. 

The President eventually climbed down from his actions, telling Piers Morgan in an ITV interview: "Here's what's fair. If you're telling me they're horrible people, horrible racist people, I would certainly apologise if you'd like me to do that."

A spokesperson for Theresa May called the group hateful. They said: “Britain First seeks to divide communities by their use of hateful narratives that peddle lies and stoke tensions.

"They cause anxiety to law-abiding people. British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right which is the antithesis of the values this country represents, decency, tolerance and respect.”