Interviews

Lord Carlile on terror

by Mark Rowe

If we don’t tackle extremism at street and community level then it will become a serious and endemic problem in society, Lord Carlile of Berriew has warned. He was speaking on a recent visit to Middlesbrough. The Lib Dem peer, president of the a member of the National Prevent Oversight Board (which aims to prevent violent extremism) and was the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation from 2001 to 2011.

Lord Carlile observed a workshop which was developed by Media Cultured, a social enterprise set up with support from Teesside University, and delivered to Redcar and Cleveland College students.

He said: ‘Counter extremist measures such as the work I’ve seen run by Media Cultured today should be put in place across the UK. We have to start with young people. Young people have to understand that violent extremism is not a part of the society in which we live. British people don’t do it and that of course includes British Muslims who are as British as anyone else.

‘I’ve been very impressed by the programme that’s been done to deal with radicalisation here in Middlesbrough. The National Prevent Oversight Board has the aim of preventing violent extremism. Examples of good practice, for example here in Middlesbrough, and examples of bad practice – which I’ve seen in other places – inform government and local government as to what should be done.

‘Teesside University is supporting a very important initiative and those running this initiative are setting an example for the whole country.’

Also attending were representatives from Middlesbrough Council and Cleveland Police.

Amjid Khazir founded Media Cultured to improve social cohesion with support from a Teesside University DigitalCity Fellowship. He said: ‘The workshops we deliver with Media Cultured are anything from an hour’s session to six to 12 week programmes. They are built up around creating an understanding of people from different cultures through illustrating core values, such as compassion, understanding and family.

‘It is important to drive forward initiatives to combat the misconceptions and misunderstandings that can isolate people and communities from each other and prove a fertile breeding ground for extremism.’

Amjid decided to focus full-time on community work after the death of his uncle, Mohammed Zabir, a taxi driver who died of a heart attack in 2011, a month after being attacked by a drunken passenger who shouted racist abuse at him. Having initially worked with mosques and national faith groups to help the community understand issues around internet safety and misinformation that were being communicated by both racist and extremist groups, Amjid decided to tackle these issues

Laura Woods, Director of Academic Enterprise at Teesside University, said: ‘Lord Carlile recognises the valuable role Media Cultured can play in promoting a harmonious society. DigitalCity fellowships were developed help ground-breaking ideas move from development into truly ground-breaking projects – which can make a real difference and Media Cultured is an excellent example of this.’

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