Gangs, FTFs discussed in anti-extremism workshop

Fitzgerald Hinds
Fitzgerald Hinds

Representatives from Caricom nations gathered at the Police Training Academy in St James, at the launch of the Caricom IMPACS Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Workshop.

The three-day workshop ia aimed at exposing participants to best practices and will include discussions on key issues including managing, returning, and relocating foreign terrorist fighters, countering terrorism financing, preventing exploitation of social media, and community engagement. Along with this, the issue of gangs and gang violence will also be touched.

Speaking with regional crime and security strategy co-ordinator Callixtous Joseph of Caricom IMPACS, Newsday was told that a link had been established between violent extremism and gang activity, and both are being treated as scourges of the Caricom.

“Terrorism is violence, and gang activity is violence. We have no part to play with any of those. We in Caricom are treating with all forms of violence as something the community does not want,” Joseph said.

In an address, Joseph told representatives at the workshop there is no rationale that can be accepted for violent extremism or terrorism.

“No curse or grievance, nothing could excuse the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, the destruction of lives and the creation of panic for its own sake. Violent extremism and terrorism is at odds with our values and vision for a safe and prosperous community,” Joseph said.

In the same way that violent extremists and terrorists are considered separate and contrary to the religions they claim to represent, minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds, in a conversation with reporters, pointed out that gangs, particularly gangs in TT which claim to have connections with the Islam and Rastafarian faiths, also operate contrary to the religions they claim to be part of.

“We have heard from the established religion of Islam, we have heard from the Rastafarian religion; and what is portrayed as Rasta City and Muslim are not of or in keeping with their own religious observances. The names are poor misnomers. It is an abuse and it is evil to use a noble religion’s name to perpetrate crime.”

Hinds said TT has a wide range of laws that would cover both gang activity and terror threats and people in breach of any of these laws would be held and charged accordingly.

Comments

"Gangs, FTFs discussed in anti-extremism workshop"

More in this section