WHILE Western countries have been busy warning of the dangers of Islamist terrorism, they have for too long excused the rise of an incredibly dangerous strain of white nationalism.

Indeed, rather than simply ignore or excuse it, the language chosen by some of Britain's most high-profile politicians – and increasingly their American counterparts – has arguably encouraged it.

Last week, it emerged that four members of the British military had been arrested on suspicion of membership of an outlawed, far-right terror organisation, called National Action. They were arrested following an intelligence-led operation, and although their involvement with the group is yet to be determined, the case has shone a spotlight on a group that has anti-terror experts worried.

National Action became a proscribed organisation in 2016. Anti-far right group Hope Not Hate estimates a small membership of under 100, but the group claims to be actively targeting universities and young people through social media, and it has intelligence authorities in the UK concerned. While the group itself may not currently be a significant violent threat, it is a breeding ground for extreme views, and could nurture a bigger problem for the future.

It's thought to have connections to the former BNP youth wing, and it openly idolises Hitler. One member was filmed saying that the group needed a "killer instinct", and that lessons from previous national socialists should be learned, namely that "no, you do not show the Jew mercy".

Unfortunately, the rise of these groups is no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention in recent years, but the lack of real recognition of just what's at stake here is both frustrating and terrifying.

Less than 18 months ago, an MP – one of our elected parliamentarians – was shot and stabbed in broad daylight. Jo Cox was murdered by far right supporter Thomas Mair. He was appalled by her support of refugees fleeing to the UK in need of help. He found her compassion intolerable. When he appeared in court, he said: “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain.”

Over in the US, the far right mobilised last month in Charlottesville to parade their white nationalism brazenly in front of the media and the authorities. The result of their demonstration of hate was the death of 32-year-old anti-fascist protester Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car was driven into the crowd.

In 2015, nine people were murdered in the Charleston church shooting in South Carolina at the hands of white supremacist Dylann Roof. Earlier this year, two men were killed on a train apparently after trying to stop a racist outburst. Their alleged killer has links to America's alt-right movement.

And this week, as America remembers the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a man will go on trial in New York suspected of yet another racially motivated, far-right inspired killing.

In Europe, of course, there is Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who murdered 77 people in 2011, and whose name is often cited by members of the far-right today who idolise him as a hero of their movement.

There are examples too numerous to list on the spectrum of far-right violence which now exists in the UK and other Western countries.

Let there be no confusion about where this leads. The Second World War is still within living memory for many of our relatives, and we need only ask them.

The far-right, nazis, fascists, have a purist ideology which espouses violence and genocide as a means of achieving their desired society. Not only are the perceived lesser races within this ideology a target, but anyone in opposition to their ideas are, too.

That means you, reader, and that's why you don't have a choice in these political times. You are already on a side, regardless of whether you think you've chosen one. Extremists only see the world in such ways. There is no option but to oppose and organise against this ideology, and it must involve every layer of society, from community action and education for our youngsters, to action within the law for those who've already reached the extreme ends.

While the UK's anti-terror Prevent programme tends often to be only associated with Islamist terrorism, around a third of its referrals are actually related to the far-right. The West has a problem with white nationalist terrorism, and those involved in it seek to dismantle our democracies and replace them with fascism.

It is on our own doorsteps, and it cannot be allowed to win.