NEWSTORN Information
PA MediaThe federal government is about to reject inner recommendation to widen the definition of extremism to incorporate doubtlessly violent environmentalists, the far left, conspiracy theorists and males prejudiced towards girls.
The NEWSTORN has been instructed Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper doesn’t agree with the central findings of a speedy “dash” report she commissioned final yr, and can order the federal government to proceed to give attention to Islamist and far-right extremism.
It comes after sections of the report had been leaked to the Coverage Trade suppose tank, which criticised the suggestions.
A Residence Workplace spokesperson stated the federal government is “contemplating a variety of potential subsequent steps arising” from the report.
“The counter extremism dash sought to comprehensively assess the problem dealing with our nation and lay the foundations for a brand new method to tackling extremism – so we will cease folks being drawn in the direction of hateful ideologies,” the spokesperson stated.
“This consists of tackling Islamism and excessive right-wing ideologies, that are probably the most distinguished right this moment”.
In July 2024, Cooper commissioned Residence Workplace officers to conduct a speedy evaluate of the UK’s method to extremism, within the wake of the final summer season’s riots throughout the UK following the homicide of three younger women in Southport.
The evaluate was tasked with shaping a brand new counter-extremism technique, addressing on-line and offline threats from Islamist and the far-right alongside a broader spectrum of extremism.
Talking on the time, Cooper stated the evaluate would “establish any gaps in present coverage which have to be addressed to crack down on these pushing dangerous and hateful beliefs and violence”.
Leaked sections of the report, printed by Coverage Trade, suggest the federal government’s counter-extremism technique shift focus to “behaviours of concern” reasonably than “ideologies”.
Behaviours of concern embrace violence towards girls, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, fascination with gore or involvement within the on-line subculture referred to as the “manosphere” – which promotes misogyny and opposition to feminism.
In response to Coverage Trade, the report admits many who show such behaviours wouldn’t depend as extremist.
Coverage Trade has not made public the leaked model of the Residence Workplace report, however printed its personal evaluation which quoted extensively from the doc.
The federal government’s present technique, generally known as Contest, is “ideologically agnostic”.
However counter-extremist officers focus most their efforts tackling Islamism and right-wing extremism – the 2 most dominant threats to the UK.
MI5 Director Ken McCallum stated in October that UK counter-terror efforts deal 75% with Islamist threats and 25% with far-right extremists.
The report urges increasing extremism’s definition to cowl, alongside Islamists and excessive right-wing:
- excessive misogyny,
- pro-Khalistan extremism, advocating for an impartial Sikh state
- Hindu nationalist extremism,
- environmental extremism,
- left wing, anarchist and single-issue extremism (LASI),
- violence fascination and,
- conspiracy theories
The Residence Workplace evaluate discovered claims of two-tier policing, the place two teams are allegedly handled in a different way after related behaviour, had been a right-wing extremist narrative leaking into mainstream debates.
The Coverage Trade authors, who launched the Residence Workplace findings, stated the evaluate “runs within the flawed route”.
Former journalist and authorities advisor Andrew Gilligan and Paul Stott, the top of safety and extremism at Coverage Trade, stated: “The aim of counter-extremism and counter-terrorism is to defend the safety of the nation, its democratic values and establishments towards these whose beliefs and acts deliberately threaten them.
“Such threats come overwhelmingly from these with an ideological or political motive, principally Islamism but additionally far-right and different types of extremism.”
The report’s suggestions “threat swamping already stretched” safety companies, whereas redefining extremism “threatens free speech,” the authors stated.
