Tackling extremism in the UK

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Tackling extremismin the UK

December 2013

Report from the Prime Minister s Task Force on

Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism


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Cabinet Office70 WhitehallLondon SW1A 2AS

Publication date: December 2013

Crown copyright 2013

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The UK deplores and will fight terrorism of every kind, whetherbased on Islamist, extreme right-wing or any other extremistideology. We will not tolerate extremist activity of any sort,which creates an environment for radicalising individuals andcould lead them on a pathway towards terrorism.

1.1 The killing of Drummer Lee Rigby inWoolwich was the impetus to lookclosely at whether the government wasdoing all it could to confront extremismand radicalisation. We know that theinternational terrorist threat to the UKcomes primarily from those people whoare inspired by Al Qa idas distortedinterpretation of Islam and use that asustification for killing innocent people.But we must tackle extremism of all

kinds, including the Islamophobia andneo-Nazism espoused by the murdererof Mohammed Saleem to justify histerrorist attacks against mosques in theWest Midlands.

1.2 The Prime Minister set up theExtremism Task Force to identifyany areas where our currentapproach was lacking and to agreepractical steps to fight against allforms of extremism. We have madeprogress since this government cameto power. We have removed over18,000 items of online terroristpropaganda and intervened more oftenthan ever before to limit theopportunities for hate preachers tospread their messages. But werecognise that we can and should domore. This response is broader thandealing only with those who espouse

violence we must confront thepoisonous extremist ideology that canlead people to violence; which divides

communities and which extremists useto recruit individuals to their cause;which runs counter to fundamentalBritish values such as freedom ofspeech, democracy and equal rights;which says that the West is at war withIslam and that it is not possible to be atrue Muslim and to live an integrated lifein the UK.

1.3 Since the 2011 revised Prevent strategy, the government has definedextremism as: vocal or activeopposition to fundamental Britishvalues, including democracy, the rule oflaw, individual liberty and mutualrespect and tolerance of different faithsand beliefs. We also include in ourdefinition of extremism calls for thedeath of members of our armed forces,whether in this country or overseas .There is a range of extremist individualsand organisations, including Islamists,the far right and others. As the greatestrisk to our security comes from AlQaida and like -minded groups, andterrorist ideologies draw on and makeuse of extremist ideas, we believe it isalso necessary to define the ideology ofIslamist extremism.

1.4 This is a distinct ideology whichshould not be confused withtraditional religious practice. It is anideology which is based on a distortedinterpretation of Islam, which betrays


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2.3 We will close these gaps in ourlegislation by:

making sure organisationshave the support and advicethey need to confront andexclude extremists : they willget expert advice fromspecialist charities if they haveto resort to legal action toexclude extremists

considering if there is a casefor new types of order to ban

groups which seek toundermine democracy or usehate speech, when necessaryto protect the public or preventcrime and disorder

considering if there is a casefor new civil powers , akin tothe new anti-social behaviourpowers, to target thebehaviours extremists use to

radicalise others

consulting on new legislationto strengthen the powers ofthe Charity Commission :these powers will help us tackleextremism, as well as otherabuses of charitable statussuch as tax avoidance andfraud

2.4 In addition, the police will:

ensure that the extremistdimension of hate-crimes isproperly logged and taken into

account when conducting theirinvestigations

share information with othercountries to identify individualswith extreme right-wing viewscoming to the UK, as they dowith Islamist extremists

Countering extremist narratives and ideology

Extremist propaganda is too widely available, particularlyonline, and has a direct impact on radicalising individuals. Thepoisonous messages of extremists must not be allowed todrown out the voices of the moderate majority.

3.1 The Task Force has agreed to:

build the capabilities ofcommunities and civilsociety organisations so thatthey can campaign against thelarge volume of extremistmaterial, including online

work with internet companiesto restrict access to terroristmaterial online which ishosted overseas but illegalunder UK law

improve the process forpublic reporting of extremistcontent online

work with the internet industryto help them in their continuingefforts to identify extremistcontent to include in family-friendly filters

look at using existing powers toexclude from the UK thosewho post extremist materialonline who are based overseas


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Preventing radicalisation

Local authorities are instrumental in delivering Preve nt, thegovernments counter -radicalisation and counter-extremismstrategy.

4.1 There are some towns and cities inthe UK where extremism is of particularconcern. The people on the front linewho we rely on to work withcommunities to tackle extremism musthave the full support of their localauthority. This is not always the case.

4.2 To show unequivocally theimportance we attach to tacklingextremism and the role of localauthorities in delivering it, we will:

take steps to intervene wherelocal authorities are nottaking the problem seriously

make delivery of Prevent alegal requirement in thoseareas of the country where

extremism is of particularconcern

make delivery of the Channel programme a legalrequirement in England andWales, which supportsindividuals at risk of beingradicalised

Integration

Extremism can flourish where different parts of a communityremain isolated from each other. More integrated communitieswill be more resilient to the influence of extremists.

4.3 Extremism is less likely to betolerated by communities which cometogether to challenge it. Britain is

stronger because of its open, multi-faithand multi-racial communities, which cantackle extremists together andchallenge the view that it is not possibleto be a true Muslim and be integrated inBritish society. Approaches in the pastthat, on occasion, sought to deal withdifferent communities as separate anddistinct, were mistaken.

4.4 It is important that this effort is ledlocally by communities who know theirareas best. Alongside confronting the

extremist narrative, the government will:set up a dedicated publiccommunications platform toallow communities to bring tolife the success of integrationand challenge the extremistworldview


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support projects thatdemonstrate howcommunities come together ,whether in:

celebrating the Big Ifta r,when Mosques up and downthe country open up theirdoors to their community

commemorating the sacrificeof soldiers of all faiths fromacross the Commonwealth inWorld War 1

remembering whereintolerance and hatred canlead, through HolocaustMemorial Day and theRem embering Srebrenicaproject

give more support to thoseplaces which face the biggestintegration challenges ,especially those communitieswhere extremism is a particularproblem

Stopping extremism in institutions

Extremists take advantage of institutions to share theirpoisonous narrative with others, particularly with individualsvulnerable to their messages. The government must do more toaddress extremism in locations where it can exert control, suchas prisons, and increase oversight where it is needed, such assome independent and religious schools.

Schools

5.1.1 We have a responsibility toprotect children from extremistviews in schools . All schools inEngland, whether in the state orindependent sectors, including thosewith a faith ethos, must expect that theywill be inspected and assessed on theirmeasures to protect their pupils fromextremist material.

5.1.2 Ofsted already conductsunannounced inspections ofindependent schools these willcontinue. We are working to introduceeven tougher standards fromSeptember 2014 to ensure that schoolssupport fundamental British values.Regulations to bar individuals involved

or linked with extremism from managingor teaching at independent schools willbe in place by April 2014.

5.1.3 To widen the protection of schoolchildren further, the Task Force hasagreed to improve oversight of religious

supplementary schools. We willintroduce a voluntary code of practicewhich will depend on schoolsimplementing robust policies to protectchildren and young people from harm,including exposure to intolerant orextremist views. This will help parentsmake informed decisions about theright choice of supplementary school fortheir child.


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Universities and further education

5.2.1 Extremist preachers use somehigher education institutions as aplatform for spreading theirmessages. Universities must takeseriously their responsibility to denyextremist speakers a platform. This isnot about the government restrictingfreedom of speech it is aboutuniversities taking account of theinterests of all their students and theirown reputations when deciding whothey allow to use their institution as aplatform.

5.2.2 Earlier this year we deployedPrevent coordinators to work withthose universities and colleges acrossEngland and Wales which face thegreatest challenge from radicalisation.They offer training, raise awarenessamong staff of the warning signs ofextremist behaviour and have alreadyhelped institutions review their externalspeaker policies. These coordinatorsalso give universities access to theinformation they need to make informeddecisions about who they allow tospeak on campuses. This move has

been welcomed by universities and asa result events have been changed orcancelled.

5.2.3 The Minister for Universities andScience met university representativeson 18 November. He set out clearly thegovernments expectation for universities to take steps to preventthem being a permissive environmentfor extremism and what the government

can do to assist them. Universities UK,in conjunction with representatives fromaround the sector have produceddetailed guidance for universities onmanaging the risks associated withexternal speakers on campus.

5.2.4 The Task Force has agreed towork with universities and theirstudent bodies to find trainedMuslim chaplains who will be able to

challenge extremist views on campusesand provide pastoral care for Muslimstudents. Although some universitieshave Muslim chaplains, they are not aswidespread as Christian chaplains.

Prisons

5.3.1 Our prisons house some of themost dangerous terrorists andextremists in society who have rightlybeen locked up for the crimes theyhave committed. It is not acceptablethat some prisoners are able to usetheir time behind bars to radicaliseother prisoners. We must take theopportunity of having control over thisdifficult and dangerous set ofindividuals before they are released tomanage them closely, confront robustly

their extremist views and disrupt theiractivities.

5.3.2 Appropriately recruited MuslimPrison Chaplains are alreadyemployed to challenge the extremistviews of prisoners and to providereligious direction for Muslim prisoners.Using their experience, they aredeveloping the Ibaana programme ,designed to target the small number ofprisoners with the most entrenchedextremist views. One-to-one sessionsover several hours with a trainedchaplain will be used to challenge the

theological arguments used by theseprisoners to justify their extremist views.


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5.3.3 The programme will be rolled outin full by April 2014. It will complementthe existing education programme todevelop all prisoners understanding ofIslam, already completed by 1,600individuals.

5.3.4 Further steps will be taken to:

restrict the ability ofextremist and terroristprisoners to radicalise byusing special programmes tominimise the impact they have

on other prisoners

tighten the rules on legalcorrespondence to ensureprisoners and their legalrepresentatives do not takeadvantage of them to smuggleextremist material into prison

ensure that prisoners whohave demonstrated extremistviews in prison receiveintervention and support onrelease : prisoners will bepassed seamlessly toappropriate intervention whenthey are released, including theChannel programme

Next steps

6.1 Taken together, these practical changes demonstrate the governments continuedcommitment to tackling extremism. They will give us the tools we need to confrontextremism and ensure we can support other organisations and individuals to do thesame. Although the work of the Extremism Task Force now comes to an end, thePrime Minister will receive regular updates from departments on how these steps arebeing implemented, their impact and any further steps needed for an effective andcomprehensive approach to dealing with extremism.

Tackling extremism in the UK

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