The ‘human rights’ group CAGE has blamed the Westminster terror attack on “a self perpetuating, vicious cycle of violence” triggered by Western foreign policy, as well as calling for the softening of anti-terror laws.
In a blog post responding to last week’s deadly attack, CAGE sought to divert attention from Islamic ideology and onto the West.
“We must acknowledge that the global ‘War on Terror’ has unleashed an endless cycle of violence and murder that has caused immeasurable grief and pain, and will only continue to do so if we do not seek constructive ways to end it,” they wrote.
They also appeared to threaten that if radical Islam is confronted and its political demands are not met, attacks will continue.
“There is a risk that violence will continue as long as states line up to condemn violence and ‘terrorism’, while legitimizing state violence both actual and structural (in the form of counter-extremism programmes that criminalise belief and political dissent), towards Muslims,” the group claims.
“We must begin to openly discuss the root causes of violent incidents in a balanced and intelligent manner. This in turn, must prompt a re-examination of the neo-conservative and violent Western foreign and domestic policy towards Muslims.”
In the UK, they claim the terror attack will be used to justify harsher anti-terror laws and “exploited… to promote… failing counter-extremism policies and programmes”.
The group laid the blame for Islamic violence on a whole host of conflicts, including the war on Islamic State and others caused by Islamist insurgencies as well as Western intervention.
“Recently, the United States government along with Britain has been expanding its ‘War on Terror’ in Syria through the use of airstrikes and drones, alongside Russia, Iran and the regime’s militias. The carnage in Iraq is even more horrific,” they write.
They also blame the conflicts in “Yemen and Somalia, and the ethnic cleansing operations against Muslims in Burma or the Central African Republic (CAR)”.
“The relationship between foreign wars and domestic consequences is denied by Western governments,” they add.
CAGE has been widely condemned for defending terrorists and calling Islamic State executioner Jihadi John an “extremely kind, gentle, beautiful young man”.
Their leading members have been described as Islamists and Salafi fundamentalists, and their ‘outreach director’ is former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg (pictured above with Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell).
Several MPs and London’s deputy “integration” mayor have worked with the group, as well as the National Union of Students (NUS) who campaign against anti-terror laws with them.