Taken to task

EVEN though it has taken David Cameron nearly two weeks to chair the first meeting of the special task force that was set up after Drummer Lee Rigby was killed, the Prime Minister is right to say that the fight against extremism and the radicalisation of young Muslims has to be driven at a grassroots level.

This will be the most effective way of breaking down barriers between people from different religions, as illustrated by those leaders at a mosque in York who chose to organise a garden party when they heard that the English Defence League was planning to stage a protest outside their premises.

If only the response in other parts of Britain had been so enlightened – despite Muslim leaders uniting to condemn the horrific murder of the young soldier in language that was without precedent. As such, Mr Cameron was right when he placed schools and universities at the forefront of his new crusade against extremism.

Winning the hearts and minds of the young is crucial – but it is clear that some potential terrorists have been radicalised at UK higher education institutions and it should not have taken Drummer Rigby’s death for the Prime Minister to recognise the seriousness of the continuing threat.

That said, it was significant that the PM’s statement made no direct reference at the outset to the possibility of introducing new data surveillance laws to assist the security services. That was a significant omission. For he cannot expect M15 and others to perform so heroically if they do not have the legal powers that they require.