Universities that fail to tackle extremism on campus could face sanctions and even be forced to close, the Education Secretary has said. The warning comes as part of Labour’s “social cohesion strategy”, set to be launched this week, which will identify Islamic extremism as the primary danger to social cohesion in the country, according to a leaked draft. Under the plans, university vice-chancellors will be issued advice on how to conduct stricter checks on visiting speakers to ensure they do not spread extremist material or commit criminal offences on campuses. The strategy will also see a scaled-up Home Office unit dedicated to blocking extremists coming to Britain.
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Fears of growing extremism on British campuses have been rising in recent years.The Government’s strategy comes just weeks after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pulled funding for its youth to come to Britain to study over fears they may return radicalised by Islamists on campuses. Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, have taken increasingly tough stances on Islamist groups, all proscribing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organisation – something Britain is yet to do.Ms Phillipson said that while Britain’s universities should be “places of rigorous debate and opportunity”, they should never be places where students “feel unsafe because of who they are or what they believe”.Existing anti-terror laws require universities to work alongside Prevent – the Government’s preventative approach to tackling radicalisation. The Office for Students – the the independent statutory regulator for higher education – will be handed greater powers by the Government to enforce universities to comply with their anti-extremism duties. Institutions which fall short of their obligations could face an intervention by the watchdog, with severe penalties and even closure as possible punishments. According to a leaked copy of the strategy, it warns that Britain’s “historic social cohesion” is “under threat” by mass migration and social media.BRITAIN’S UNIVERSITIES IN CRISIS – READ MORE:UK student visas suspended for four countries after mass asylum fraud exposedUK university Muslim group MOURNS Iranian Ayatollah’s death as ‘unimaginable loss’Labour considers student loan interest rate and threshold changes after graduate backlashWhile the document calls for “respect for different cultures”, it notes that integration is “a two-way street”, insisting that “newcomers have a responsibility to engage with and embrace what it means to be British”.It reads: “For many living in the UK, the changes brought about by mass migration have been too much, too quickly, leaving people feeling as though they are losing their local and national identity.”The document came under fire earlier this week after a leaked copy dubbed the flying of English, Scottish and Union flags on lampposts as a “tool of hate”.Within the report, national symbols were described as being deployed at times last summer to “exclude or intimidate” communities.The remarks reference campaigns up and down the country last year – dubbed Operation Raise the Colours – that encouraged displaying national flags on streets, lamp-posts and other public areas.The Education Secretary said: “Many universities are already working tirelessly to support their students and uphold the law, and they deserve our backing, which is why we are taking action to strengthen the support available to them.“Free speech is a core pillar of our society and our universities, but we must also be clear about where the line is drawn.”There must be no place for hate crimes, intimidation or attempts to draw students into terrorism.”Our Standards:
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