Theresa May has warned that “much more” must be done to confront and defeat the “evil ideology of Islamist extremism”.
The prime minister said it promoted a “false choice between our Western values of freedom, democracy and human rights and the religion of Islam”.
And she insisted it could only be beaten when people understood that “pluralistic British values” were “superior to anything offered by the preachers and supporters of hate”.
In a speech in London, the Tory leader added: “We must deny it the safe spaces it needs to take root and grow.
“That means refusing to tolerate extremism of any kind in our country. It means being more robust in identifying it and stamping it out – across the public sector and across wider society.”
She reiterated the need to review the counter-terrorism strategy to ensure the police and security services have the powers they require, suggesting an increase in the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences.
However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was cautious about whether this would make a difference.
She said: “We’ve got to be sure we’re taking the right steps.
“That means working with the Muslim community, the thing we absolutely must not do is scapegoat the Muslim community.”
