Tom Elliott, Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, has welcomed the Prime Minister`s announcement of a new Counter-Extremism Strategy, but called on the government to ensure that it is also applied to extremists in Northern Ireland.
Mr Elliott said:
“The Prime Minister`s announcement of a Counter-Extremism Strategy is welcome news. I hope that the measures included within it will apply in Northern Ireland as much as in London, Manchester or any other part of the United Kingdom.
“Extremism of all forms can tear at the fabric of society and that includes paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. Whether the threat emanates from Islamic extremists or paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, it needs to be challenged. For too long, terrorists and their apologists in Northern Ireland have been allowed to propagate their sick propaganda where murder is excused and criminality is overlooked.
"Hopefully this initiative will bring new thinking and focus, so that the children of today do not have their minds poisoned by what they see online or hear on the streets."
