POLICE IN THE UK have banned two far-right groups and warned that membership of the nationalist organisations can now result in a 10 year prison sentence.

Head of the UK’s counter-terrorism unit Mark Rowley said that he welcomed new legislation making membership of Scottish Dawn and NS131 illegal.

Not only is membership of these groups now illegal, openly supporting these organisations is now also a criminal offence.

Rowley said: “We welcome today’s move, which will help us disrupt and tackle the growing threat from the extreme right-wing and make the UK a more hostile place for terrorists.

“Scottish Dawn and NS131 are aliases used by the banned extreme right-wing terrorist group National Action. Membership or encouraging support of these organisations will be a criminal offence, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

“We remain committed to tackling all toxic ideologies which threaten the public’s safety and are just as determined to stop right-wing terrorism as we are Islamist attacks against the UK.

“Anyone with concerns about the activities of National Action, associated groups, or any other type of extremist activity, can contact the confidential hotline on 0800 789 321 or go to gov.uk/ACT.”

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