Police step up surveillance of far-right groups | UK | Reuters

Police step up surveillance of far-right groups | UK | Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Police chiefs and Muslim groups are worried about a rise in attacks by far-right groups, with one senior officer warning extremists are plotting a "spectacular" incident to fuel racial hatred.

Commander Shaun Sawyer, from London's counter-terrorism unit, told a meeting of the Muslim Safety Forum that senior officers had increased surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to stage attacks


"I fear that they will have a spectacular ... They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere," he said.

He told the meeting that more of his officers needed to be deployed to try and thwart neo-Nazi inspired violence but that the threat posed by al Qaeda remained the unit's priority.

He said of the unit's section on far-right activities : "It is a small desk ... We need to grow that unit."

Sawyer said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson had asked the anti-terrorist command to examine what the economic downturn would mean for far-right violence.

The assessment concluded that it would increase the possibility, he said.

In 1999, neo-Nazi David Copeland struck three targets in London with nail bombs.

Three people were killed and scores were wounded at a gay bar in Soho. It followed attacks against the Muslim community in Brick Lane, east London, and a market in Brixton, south London.

Mohammed abu Kalam, a spokesman for the Muslim Safety Forum, which works with police to ensure the security of Muslims, said they were very concerned about the rise in far-right extremism and a number of recent attacks on mosques and Islamic centres.

"We are receiving many, many calls from communities who feel they are vulnerable, especially those in areas where Muslims are a very small minority who feel lonely and isolated," he said.

"The ordinary working class Englishman doesn't want to hear about minorities getting extra protection, he wants to hear that his job is secure, his mortgage is safe and that the politicians are not involved in scams."

Yayha Birt, a trustee of City Circle, a debating forum for British Muslim professional people, said people were right to be worried.

"I'd like to see the police take a more coordinated response to this," he told Reuters. "There may be evidence of (right-wing) networks, but this needs research."