Mayor of London signals fresh investment to fight hate crime and extremism

Part of the Mayor’s £16 million Shared Endeavour Fund, this latest phase of capital injection will support around 50,000 Londoners across every London Borough to recognise and critically assess intolerant, hateful and extremist messages and empower them to safely challenge these narratives. This is on top of the 190,000 Londoners who have already benefited since the scheme was set up in 2020.

Organisations receiving funding include the West Ham United Foundation, the Anne Frank Trust UK and Tech Against Terrorism.

The West Ham United Foundation will deliver anti-racism training alongside critical thinking workshops in schools, giving young Londoners aged from 11 to 16 the skills to safely intervene when they spot hate or prejudice.

The Anne Frank Trust UK will continue to deliver awareness raising sessions, focusing on the impact of anti-semitism and Islamophobia, helping young people to understand how this prejudice can manifest and the harm it can cause.

Tech Against Terrorism will deliver schools-based workshops, in turn helping students to recognise harmful and radicalising content online.

Hateful activity  

The action comes as anti-migrant hotel protests are becoming more commonplace in the capital and arrests for those aged 17 and under for terror-related offences in the UK remain high, with 43 arrests in the last year.

Research conducted by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found that the social media platform X failed to act on 97% of posts calling for violence against migrants or Muslims that are reported to the platform. This rise is part of a pattern of hateful activity and misinformation which is becoming increasingly common and unchecked on social media. The Mayor’s investment encourages Londoners to reject hateful and divisive narratives.  

The latest phase of the record-breaking fund will bring together communities and counter hate by teaching young people how to identify and reject false and hateful narratives and how to safely intervene. It will also tackle online conspiracy theories and misinformation, as witnessed with the disorder across the country following the Southport tragedy last year, teaching young people how to spot and fact-check hateful and radical narratives online and promote shared values to those at risk of radicalisation.

The latest statistics show that, although reported hate crime incidents are falling across the capital, they still remain unacceptably high. There were more than 21,200 hate crime incidents recorded in London in the past 12 months, which is a reduction on the previous year.

The Mayor remains committed to leading from the front to fight extremism in all its forms. This latest announcement is one of several measures Khan is taking to combat hate crime, radicalisation and misinformation. Earlier this year, the Mayor launched his ‘’Loved and Wanted campaign to celebrate the capital’s diversity, inclusivity and unity in the face of uncertain and unsettling times across the globe.

The latest independent evaluation of the Shared Endeavour Fund found that the Mayor’s investment is working to build Londoners’ resilience to radicalisation and extremist recruitment as well as reducing racism, intolerance, hate and extremism in the capital. It found that participants reported substantial improvements in their ability to recognise, critically engage with and resist hateful and extremist ideologies. Those who were identified as being vulnerable to radicalisation and extremist recruitment reported being more likely to challenge intolerant, hateful and extremist attitudes and behaviours.

Standing up to hate 

Sadiq Khan said: “Hate crime, extremism and intolerance have no place in London. That’s why I’m continuing to fund grassroot community groups which will benefit Londoners, giving them the skills they need to fight extremism and stand up to hate.”  

Khan added: “We’re living in increasingly divisive and uncertain times and I know the worry and concern that this is creating in our communities. That’s why I’m committed to working in close partnership with communities and the police to ensure everyone in the capital feels, and is, safe and welcome. I will always champion London’s diversity as its greatest strength and work to shape a city where people understand and respect one another, in turn building a better and safer London for everyone.”  

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command, stated: “Our concerns over children and young adults being drawn into extremism and terrorism continue to grow. We’re seeing record numbers of children in our casework and much of this is driven by what they are encountering online, with extremist and terrorist groups exploiting new and emerging technologies and channels to target and recruit those vulnerable to radicalisation.”

Murphy went on to state: “That’s why it’s so important that we also come up with new and innovative ways in which to counter these threats. It’s a whole societal problem, so the partnerships between policing, local authorities, the Mayor of London, educational establishments and the charity sector are critical to the shared mission of keeping children and young people safe in this modern world and keeping the wider public safe from terrorism.”

Reaching out 

Cormac Hanrahan, education manager at the West Ham United Foundation, observed: “The West Ham United Foundation is proud to be a part of Call 6 of the Mayor’s Shared Endeavour Fund through its Stop the Hate project. The Stop the Hate project aims to increase young people’s understanding of racist, extremist and prejudicial ideas and how these damage communities. Through this project, the Foundation has already engaged with over 16,000 young people in schools across East London since it began in 2015. Receiving this new funding from the Mayor will allow the Foundation to build on the impactful work it has already delivered and reach out to even more young Londoners.” 

Adam Hadley CBE, executive director of Tech Against Terrorism, concluded: “Supporting young people to navigate online spaces safely is central to our mission. Through the Mayor’s funding, we're able to work directly with young Londoners to provide them with practical skills to identify concerning content, understand reporting mechanisms and support their peers. We’re grateful to the Mayor’s Shared Endeavour Fund for supporting this initiative and look forward to working together to strengthen digital resilience among London’s young people and their communities.”