MPs can be robust in discussing community cohesion and extremism, minister says
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The Government has defended the right to be “robust” while discussing extremism and community divisions, but warned MPs must not inflame tensions. The House of Commons heard fears around the impact of language used when discussing these topics, amid worries it could damage cohesion between different groups.
Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall and Camberwell Green) said she was concerned about a further rise in hate crime. The Labour MP said: “At a time when we are seeing such an increase in religious hate crime, including Islamophobia and antisemitism, we all have a duty in this house to be careful around the language we use.
“And I hope the Government will also have a look at the language coming out from the Government, because it’s really vital for community cohesion that we are careful and we don’t unintendedly inflame this.”. Communities minister Alex Norris said: “I think the point on language is an important one.
“It is reasonable and right that our constituents would expect us to be robust, where those who choose to challenge and undermine democracy and those basic principles that guide our society, but also that we use our platform, our very privileged platform, not to give rise, not to give succour for hateful ideas and prejudices.
“And indeed that’s one of the things that we know of the changing nature of terror is that those individuals are taking cues from organisations themselves that are stopping short of an obvious threshold of inflaming terrorist-type behaviours, but are instead using that as encouragement.
