200 ‘potential terrorist’ kids in UK

The British Police brand as much as 200 youngsters as ‘potential terrorists’, claiming that they are attracted to hardliner extremists.

The chief constable of West Yorkshire Police and Britain’s most senior officer in charge of terror prevention, Sir Norman Bettison, revealed the number to The Independent on Saturday.

He said the ‘Channel Project‘ had intervened in the cases of at least 200 children who were ‘thought to be at risk of extremism’, since it was launched 18 months ago.

The Association of Chief Police Officers, which supervises the project, asks teachers, parents and other community figures to remain vigilant for signs that may indicate an attraction to extreme views or susceptibility to being ‘groomed’ by hardliners.

Britain along with several European states has long sought to link Islam and terrorism in a bid to distort the Muslim faith and alienate its followers in the continent.

Though Islamophobia is verbally condemned in most of the European countries, no legal action is taken against those misusing the freedom of speech to spread the phenomenon.

In a recent example, far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders his movie called ‘Fitna‘ depicted Muslims’ holy book, Quran, as an inspiration for murder and terrorism.

The film caused outrage across the Muslim world when it was posted on the internet last year; however no legal action was taken against the lawmaker, who is mulling over running for prime minister.

This is while the second clause of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the freedom of speech could be limited in order to prevent disorder, crime and respect the rights of others.

However, the Channel Project, which was originally piloted in Lancashire and the Metropolitan Police borough of Lambeth in 2007, was expanded in February last year to cover West Yorkshire, the Midlands, Bedfordshire and South Wales.

There are even plans to further roll out the project to the rest of London, Thames Valley, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and West Sussex.