Scottish Dawn Group Banned Under Terror Laws

28 September 2017, 15:28

An order banning the neo-Nazi group National Action is to be widened after officials identified two aliases for the movement.

Scottish Dawn and NS131 (National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action) will be proscribed as terrorist organisations from Friday.

National Action became the first extreme right-wing group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016.

An order laid in Parliament on Thursday means National Action cannot operate as Scottish Dawn or NS131, which have been identified as alternative names the group has used, the Home Office said.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "National Action is a vile racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic group which glorifies violence and stirs up hatred while promoting their poisonous ideology, and I will not allow them to masquerade under different names.

"By extending the proscription of National Action, we are halting the spread of a poisonous ideology and stopping its membership from growing - protecting those who could be at risk of radicalisation.

"Our priority as Government will always be to maintain the safety and security of families and communities across the United Kingdom and we will continue to identify and ban any terrorist group which threatens this, whatever their ideology."

When the order comes into effect, being a member of, or inviting support for, the organisations will be a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary can issue an order that an alternative name or alias is to be treated as another name for a banned organisation.

Decisions about proscribing or extending the proscription of a particular organisation are taken after extensive consideration and in light of a full assessment of available information, the Home Office said.

In the official list of proscribed groups, National Action is described as a ''racist neo-Nazi group'' that was established in 2013.

The group is ''virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic'' and its activities and propaganda materials are particularly aimed at recruiting young people, according to the document.

Eleven men were arrested on Wednesday following an investigation into National Action.