O. MI5 have taken on responsibility for Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism (ERWT) without the commensurate resources. Taking the month of July 2020 as an example, ERWT and Left, Anarchist, Single-Issue Terrorism (LASIT) casework accounted for around under a fifth of all counter-terrorism investigations: that casework can only be undertaken at the expense of other MI5 work. The impact has been seen on *** casework, which is now progressed more slowly, and on MI5's inability to expand its work on other threat areas as it had intended. This situation is untenable. While MI5, rightly, allocates its resources on what it assesses to be the highest priority work based on its expert knowledge of the threat, we are concerned that MI5 has been expected simply to absorb this new responsibility. MI5 must be given additional funding to enable it to conduct these cases without other areas of work suffering as a consequence.
P. It is clear that the Behavioural Science Unit (BSU) is making a vital contribution to promoting an informed understanding of the complexities of the Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism (ERWT) threat. We are puzzled that MI5 does not appear to be taking active steps to ensure it has the capacity to be involved at the outset of all investigations. The BSU is clearly an essential capability, particularly when it comes to meeting the ERWT threat, and must be resourced appropriately.
Q. Proscription has, to date, been an important disruptive tool in countering the influence and activities of bodies and organisations that seek to carry out terrorist activity. However, the ideologies driving Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism are complex, and in the case of, for example, neo-Nazi groups such as Order of Nine Angles, do not meet the terrorism threshold. We note that Counter Terrorism Policing and the Home Office are considering a possible review of the current proscription process—this is a welcome development.
R. The Government will need a new approach to tackle the financing of Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism (ERWT). It is one thing to take an agnostic approach and use shared methodology in assessing the Islamist terror threat and ERWT, however when it comes to the financing of this activity the reality is that the two are very different. Moreover, whilst it would appear that at present the financing of ERWT is low level and ad hoc, the reality is that this could change rapidly as the threat evolves.
S. It appears that there are inherent difficulties with the voluntary Code of Practice, and indeed across the Online Safety Bill more widely. Whilst the major communication service providers—who are already on board with the Government's drive to promote responsible behaviour—are adhering to the principles, it is the smaller organisations (many of which are particularly influential in the Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism space) who appear reluctant to step up. The emergence of many 'free speech' unmoderated platforms specifically aimed at the Extreme Right Wing are also a problem. It will be essential for Ofcom to develop the expertise and technical know-how as a matter of urgency if it is to be able to properly enforce mandatory Codes of Practice across the industry.
T. International co-operation is key to tackling Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism, however the disparity in approach and legal thresholds for defining the threat makes this particularly challenging. MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing are committed to exploring a possible joint approach with international liaison partners, although we note that the nature of the problem varies greatly across different countries.
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