Assembly Member raises threat posed by online radicalisation
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News release
13.09.2021
For immediate use
Local London Assembly Member raises threat posed by online radicalisation with Mayor
The Mayor has said he is “restructuring” some of City Hall’s programmes to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and extremism in the wake of the rise of ‘incel’ culture and recent incidents of violence driven by misogyny. This came in response to a question from local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, on how City Hall is combatting radicalisation at last week’s Mayor’s Question Time.
During the meeting, Mr Hirani raised the murders of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in Fryent Country Park in June 2020 and the recent mass shooting that took place in Plymouth. Mr Hirani said these incidents have brought the issue of “young people being radicalised online to the fore”.
Sadiq Khan said on top of the £80m he has put into VAWG programmes and support services, he is also working with schools as part of an early-intervention approach to ensure that children are educated about the importance of healthy relationships and attitudes towards other genders.
Mr Hirani’s questioning came as the Mayor announced a £400,000 fund to empower community groups across the capital to address hate crime, extremism and radicalisation. This new scheme followed City Hall’s £800,000 Shared Endeavour Fund, which was launched last year with similar aims and has since reached around 600,000 Londoners.
Last month, Mr Hirani joined the Mayor, local MPs and a large crowd of people from the community at a vigil for Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in Fryent Country Park.
Local London Assembly Member, Krupesh Hirani AM, said:
“Our community is still in shock over the horrific murders of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman last summer.
“We must do all we can to stop something like this from happening again and this is where early intervention is vital.
“I am reassured that the threat of online radicalisation related to incel culture and extreme misogyny is firmly on the Mayor’s radar and his VAWG and counter-extremism programmes are being adapted to address it.
“I look forward to seeing where the Mayor’s new £400,000 fund to tackle hate crime, extremism and radicalisation will be allocated and I hope that community groups in Brent and Harrow will benefit from it”.
Notes to editors
- The latest Mayor’s Question Time meeting can be watched back here. Krupesh Hirani AM’s questions to the Mayor start at the 02:37:40 mark;
- The Mayor has recently announced a £400,000 fund to empower community group across the capital to address hate crime, extremism and radicalisation. This new scheme followed City Hall’s £800,000 Shared Endeavour Fund, which was launched last year with similar aims and has since reached around 600,000 Londoners;
- Krupesh Hirani AM is the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow.