£5 million for community groups to fight extremism

Minister for Countering-Extremism Baroness Williams has awarded £5.3 million for projects countering extremist views to help build resilience within communities. Part of the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme, which aims to protect communities and empower them to challenge extremism, the funding will aid projects as wide-ranging as work in prisons to reduce re-offending and transform young people’s lives to using video testimony by Holocaust survivors to educate people on genocides across the world. Baroness Williams said: “Building a Stronger Britain Together is powerful coalition of positive voices in society who are standing up to the hatred and extremism which, sadly, is present in Britain. We are increasingly confronted with statements designed to justify support for twisted ideologies – these must be challenged in all their forms. I am proud of the support we are giving groups and local communities, who recognise that this country is stronger together.” The funding as announced at the Building a Stronger Britain Together network meeting. The new funding will expand the Building a Stronger Britain Together network to more than 220 groups.