The Base: UK to ban US-based white supremacist group as terrorist organisation
Priti Patel says she wants to make it ‘as difficult as possible’ for militants to operate in UK
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Your support makes all the difference.The British government is to ban US-based white supremacist group The Base as a terrorist organisation.
The neo-Nazi group, which was formed in 2018, has been attempting to recruit armed militants to launch terror attacks and prepare for a “race war”.
The Home Office said The Base shared much of its ideology and mission with Atomwaffen Division, which it banned earlier this year.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, said: “We continue to take robust action against evil white supremacist groups, who target vulnerable people across the world to join in their hateful ideologies and their sick promotion of violence.
“I am committed to making it as difficult as possible for these organisations to operate in the UK, both by banning them and increasing the penalties for membership or support, in order to protect the public and our national security.”
Proscription makes it a criminal offence in the UK to be a member of the group or invite support for it, with maximum prison sentences of 14 years for membership.
The order was laid in parliament on Monday and, if approved by MPs, will come into force later this week.
Officials said the ban followed advice from a proscription review group, including intelligence agencies and experts.
“The Base has celebrated and promoted the use of violence in an attempt to establish a fascist, white ethno-state by means of a ‘race war’, and members are known to have engaged in weapons and explosives training,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
“Its founder has also published a series of videos under his alias covering topics including ‘lone wolf’ activity, advocating guerrilla warfare and leaderless resistance.”
The Base was set up by Rinaldo Nazarro, who used the alias Norman Spear and is believed to be based in Russia.
He aimed to set up militant cells around the world and had links to other neo-Nazi terrorist groups, including Feuerkrieg Division and Atomwaffen Division.
US authorities have arrested several people linked with the groups, on charges including conspiracy to commit murder.
The Base will be the fifth extreme right-wing terrorist group to be banned in the UK, and the third to be proscribed within the last year.
They are among numerous “accelerationist” white supremacist groups drawing from the writings of American neo-Nazi James Mason.
The use of online forums to recruit and network is believed to be a driving force between a rising number of children being subject to terror investigations in the UK.
Official figures show that of the 21 under-18s arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the year to April, 15 were linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.
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