UK to crackdown on extremism

British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to announce a major crackdown on extremist preachers, including sweeping laws to ban “hate speakers” from infiltrating schools and colleges, as the government steps up its efforts to tackle Islamist extremism.

Mr Cameron has included new laws to stop the so-called “hate speakers” from working with children and other vulnerable groups in the Queen’s Speech next Wednesday, marking the beginning of a new Parliament session.

The speech, made by Queen Elizabeth II and prepared by the government to set the agenda for the year’s parliamentary business, will focus on a new counter-extremism bill designed to stop radicals infiltrating schools, colleges, charities and care homes.

Among other measures expected to be in the bill are plans to ban such radical preachers from posting material online and powers to allow the UK’s media watchdog Ofcom to block broadcasts of “unacceptable extremist material”.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, UK’s national criminal records checking service will be reformed so that the records of individuals with convictions for terrorism, or other clear connections to extremism, will be disclosed to education officials.