Leaked Prevent review attacks ‘double standards’ on far right and Islamists

From the Guardian, where the Guardianistas and Liberatti are spitting feathers. 

The government’s counter-terrorism programme has been too focused on rightwing extremism and should now crack down on Islamist extremism, according to leaked draft extracts from a landmark review of the Prevent strategy.

In one particularly provocative recommendation, seen by the Guardian, the review claims there has been a “double standard” approach to tackling different forms of extremism, with individuals targeted for expressing mainstream rightwing views (Hello! waves to readers xx) because the definition of neo-nazism has expanded too widely, while the focus on Islamist extremism has been too narrow.

The leaks, from the government-commissioned Prevent review being carried out by Sir William Shawcross, are likely to be deeply controversial. They come days after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where a self-confessed white supremacist shot 11 black and two white victims in what authorities described as a “racially motivated hate crime”. The murder of those innocent people do not give Islamic terrorists a free pass. Tit for tat wasn’t allowed even in the playground when I was a child. 

The number of referrals to Prevent relating to far-right extremism exceeded those for Islamist radicalisation for the first time last year. Referrals for far-right threats from the Prevent programme to Channel, which provides more intensive intervention, had already outstripped Islamist radicalisation since 2020.

One extract says Prevent has a “double standard when dealing with extreme rightwing and Islamism”. It says the programme has taken an expansive view on rightwing terror, which has “been so broad it has included mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream, rightwing-leaning commentary that have no meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation”.

However, it says a more hardline approach should be taken towards Islamist extremism, and that the programme has concentrated on proscribed organisations, “ignoring Islamist narratives”.

It found that some Prevent-funded programmes “have promoted extremist narratives, including statements that appear supportive of the Taliban”. The draft says: “As a core principle, the government must cease to engage with or fund those aligned with extremism.”

Prevent came under renewed scrutiny after the murder of the Conservative MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death in his constituency surgery by Ali Harbi Ali, who said he was motivated by Islamist extremism.

And finally, a statement that shows how desperate the Guardianistas and their fellow travellers are to deflect o minimise as much criticism of Islamic terrorism as possible. 

This article was amended on 18 May 2022 to remove a reference to the Liverpool women’s hospital explosion being an Islamist attack. The suspect who died in the attack, Emad al-Swealmeen, had converted to Christianity.

November 18th 2021: Liverpool bomber a Ramadan regular at his local mosque