Introduction It was recently announced that Lord Carlile of Berriew would be leading the independent review of the U.K.’s Prevent Strategy, which is expected to start within the next month. I’ve been asked recently what I’d want to see in this review and have covered these points on my YouTube Channel. However, I wanted to… Continue reading “What I’d like to see in the upcoming independent review of the Prevent Strategy”
The extreme right in Britain has changed and developed in recent times, while its impact can be felt across a wide variety of professions. From policing to teaching, and from healthcare to law, many professionals can find themselves dealing with people with extreme right activists, or whose lives have been affected by the consequences of… Continue reading “Extreme Right Aware Training Course, 20 September 2019”
Mosques and Islamic centres across the UK have recently seen an increase in hate crimes, leading to increased security concerns. Did you know that hate crimes can impact places of worship? A hate crime can be any criminal or non-criminal act such as graffiti, vandalism to property, name-calling, assault, or online abuse using social media.… Continue reading “Shades of Islamophobic hate”
Like in the UK’s “Yellow Vest Movement,” the radical right is very skilled at hijacking movements unrelated to their own. How do we combat this? Prevent – the UK’s counter-radicalisation strategy is currently undergoing an independent review, in part designed to examine accusations that the policy is having potentially negative impacts upon communities. This has… Continue reading “We Need Innovative Methods To Combat Radical Right Extremism”
Anti-Muslim hate crime, which spikes following terror attacks, is inextricably intertwined with racism. This article has been difficult to write because I was hoping that, in 2019, I would not need to start talking about international terrorism and how it can impact the streets of Britain. Instead, we are focusing on the terrible events that happened… Continue reading “Anti-Muslim Hate Crime Is a New Form of Racism”
As recently published Prevent data shows, radical right extremism presents a very real threat to the UK’s domestic security. That to date, Prevent – the UK Government’s counter-extremism strategy – has been almost exclusively deployed in response to Islamist-inspired extremism, ensuring it is effective and appropriate for the newly emergent radical right threat presents a… Continue reading “The Counter-Extremism Response to the Radical Right: The Need for New Thinking”
Throughout its development, Prevent has faced severe criticism but has remained protected by the armor of national security. n the January 22, Britain’s security minister, Ben Wallace, announced there was to be an independent review of the government’s Prevent strategy. The review was launched to further demonstrate the work done by the program in stopping people from… Continue reading “How Controversial Is Britain’s Counterterrorism Strategy?”
In the UK, a hate crime is understood as when someone commits a crime against someone because of their disability, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other perceived difference. This can be physical violence, offensive language, or harassment due to physical characteristics. Online, these can be the posting of abusive or offensive messages… Continue reading “Hate Crime – What is it?”
Placating radical right rhetoric will not stop the EDL, Pegida and the rest of the angry acronym brigade. If you want a definition of not being able to see the wood for the trees, look no further than those who are spending their time arguing over whether ‘no Brexit’ or ‘no deal’ would be the… Continue reading “Pandering To The Far Right Is No Way To Counter Them”
Last month, the Home Office published new data about Prevent. One part of the UK Government’s wider counter-terrorism strategy known as CONTEST, Prevent aims to safeguard all individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. As well as appearing to be a direct response to concerns expressed about Prevent’s effectiveness and transparency, the new data also… Continue reading “How might the state’s response to radical right extremism challenge criticisms attributed to the Prevent strategy?”