TONY Blair has pledged to transform an anti-extremist organisation into ‘a brand that extremists can trust’.
The former prime minister said the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation had to ‘completely rethink’ its philosophy and question whether tolerance and reconciliation were still relevant in a globalised, 21st Century marketplace.
He added: “We need to replace this clause in the council’s constitution about ‘committing itself to promoting tolerance and reconciliation’ with something less dogmatic, such as ‘we will help everyone achieve their goals’.
“It’s inclusive, dynamic, and most importantly, forward looking.”
Blair stressed the council had been guilty of ‘demonising extremists’ and had failed to recognise the important, hatred-generating role extremism plays in society.
He said: “I want this council to be the choice of aspirational, hard-working extremists and anti-extremists who just want a good quality of tolerance or intolerance for themselves and their families.”
