London Mayor Boris Johnson has demanded that more power is given to deal with the growing number of British extremists. The amount of young Muslims leaving the UK to go and fight in Syria and now Iraq, has reached alarming proportions, brought home by the British Jihadist who executed an American journalist on film for publicity.
Johnson, who hopes to win a place in Parliament in the next General Election, said that the most extreme cases should have their British citizenship stripped, and encouraged tighter monitoring of mobile phones, movements, laptops and mosques which are known to encourage this radicalist mentality.
His thoughts echo the opinion of most British citizens who have no which to be associated with the ongoing and fruitless Middle East conflicts. Public opinion suggests that news relating to unrest in the Gulf is simply never-ending, and the majority would rather keep Britain out of it, rather than becoming embroiled in an unwinnable war and thus inviting terror to take its place in the UK as it has done previously.
The problem comes with the fact that with so many young British fighting for Islamic State, Britain is sadly very much involved.
Tide of Terror
Johnson has encouraged an armed response to take down the IS movement rather than to sit back and do nothing, a move which would invite a “tide of terror” to the UK’s shores. This is not a view shared by the majority.
With a General Election just around the corner, the Government must tread carefully. Any involvement in Iraq – and any subsequent retaliation in the UK itself – will undoubtedly damage their slim chances of retaining the leadership. Britain is exposed here, against its will. The next move could have far reaching consequences for Brits both at home and in the Middle East.