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We will not put a lid on opinions. On the contrary, it is more important than ever that political debates are open and free, even on the most difficult issues. Especially on the most difficult issues. The task is to encourage controversial debates in a form that strengthens democracy.

We need to understand that an open society and free speech and press... really are the best weapons against al Qaeda and extremism.

We cannot hope to effectively counter extremism if we just focus on schools, universities and prisons: we need to take this online as well.

We have a rise of extremism because we need to give a sense that we are targeting some of the deeper problems in Greece, the injustices.

We need to punch back against the extremes of both the left and the right and define the terms of the debate ourselves.

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.

I think it's natural for anyone that participates in a public debate to advocate for the most extreme version that they can, particularly if they believe that government tends to compromise.

Over the course of time this gave us a deep respect for ideas, both our own and those of others, and an understanding that conflict through debate is a powerful means of revealing truth.

Confronting and undermining the narratives and ideas of extremism must therefore be one of our key tasks. To do this, we must retain the courage of our convictions in the face of extremism.

But the truth of the matter is, we're an open society, we want to remain an open society, and there will continue to be vulnerability. That's why we have to meet the threats when they are not yet taking place on our territory and on our soil.