Cameron Vows to Allocate $7.7 Mln to Groups Confronting Extremism in UK

UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to allocate 5 million British pounds ($7.7 million) for groups tackling extremism to expand the scale of their activities, the Downing Street said in a statement Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "The government will invest £5 million this year to build a national network of grassroots organisations to challenge all forms of extremist ideology," the statement read.

The announcement comes on the eve of the publication of the country’s new Counter-Extremism Strategy.

"[The strategy] sets out our new approach to tackle this poison: to vigorously counter the ideology that underpins it; to take on the violent and non-violent parts of the creed; actively supporting the mainstream voices to rise above those of the extremists; and tackle the segregation and feelings of alienation that can help provide fertile ground for extremist messages to take root," Cameron was quoted as saying in the statement.

His speech comes as more and more Britons join extremist militants in the Middle East as foreign fighters.

According to the latest data from the UK Metropolitan Police, some 700 UK citizens are estimated to have left for Syria to fight alongside jihadists. Meanwhile, the British Intelligence services claim the actual figure is likely to be three times higher.