The UK government’s latest review of its Prevent strategy is not only a political facade but a trojan horse to expand the programme. We must be united in our call for disengagement from it, and to demand nothing less than Prevent’s abolishment, argues Na’eem Ibn Farooq. UK communities targeted by the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism strategy have expressed dismay at its latest proposed ‘review’. It is not hard to see why. This ‘review’ is an expensive and wasteful exercise, a piece of political theatre. Indeed, previous ‘reviews’ and revisions have been little more than vehicles for bolstering Prevent’s arsenal of tactics, thus serving to extend and deepen the policy’s reach and harm. Since 2006, when it was first promoted as a deradicalisation ‘fund’, the Prevent strategy has undergone several mutations, all consistently aimed at criminalising Muslims and disrupting dissent. Rather than genuinely keeping us safe, Prevent’s core function is to effectively

This week, the Government announced that universities and colleges could be fined for stifling free speech on campuses. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is set to unveil a ‘free speech champion’ who will be tasked with promoting academic freedom as well as potentially reversing the decision to reinstate staff sacked for their views. Ironically, it’s the Government’s own record on free speech that has been questionable. In September, they issued new guidance on teaching in schools, ordering them not to use resources produced by organisations that take ‘extreme political stances on matters’. Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/18/british-muslims-know-this-government-is-no-fan-of-free-speech-14093932/?ito=article.desktop.share.top.twitter?ito=cbshare Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/ Source: British Muslims know this Government is no fan of free speech | Metro News

A coalition of human rights and community groups have said they will boycott the government’s review of the anti-radicalisation programme Prevent in protest at the appointment of William Shawcross as its chair. The appointment last month of Shawcross, who chaired the Charity Commission between 2012 and 2018, was met with criticism over previous remarks he has made about Islam. In a joint statement, 17 groups with interests in human rights and communities, including Liberty, Amnesty International and the Runnymede Trust, said the appointment of Shawcross showed the review was there to “simply rubber-stamp” the controversial and divisive strategy, and they would not contribute to the exercise. Source: Human rights groups to boycott government’s Prevent review | UK news | The Guardian

This is a selection of the speeches and writings of William Shawcross who has just been appointed to review the government’s Prevent counter-extremism strategy. They reveal consistent support for the most prominent right-wing causes of the last few decades, including praise for the Iraq War, George Bush and Tony Blair, the U.S military, Guantanamo Bay and opposition to “Islamism.”    All the quotes below have been sourced from William Shawcross’s own website or public speeches. Source: William Shawcross in his own words – 5Pillars

The appointment of William Shawcross as reviewer of the UK government’s contentious Prevent counter-terrorism strategy should be seen as the latest example of the Conservative Party’s structural hostility to Islam. Remember that two-thirds of Tory members polled in 2019 believed the conspiracy theory that “there are areas in Britain that operate under Sharia law”. Remember that Tory leader Boris Johnson notoriously compared Muslim women wearing face veils to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”. Think of the way the major newspaper groups combined with Tory ministers to pillory Muslims in the so-called Trojan Horse affair, when school leaders in Birmingham were falsely accused of involvement in a fabricated Islamist plot to take over the city’s classrooms. Source: Shawcross Prevent role is Tories’ latest salvo in culture war against Muslims | Middle East Eye

William Shawcross, a former head of the charity watchdog who has made controversial comments about Islam, is to lead the struggling review of the government’s anti-radicalisation programme Prevent. The review, announced in January 2019, has been beset by delays. It has taken 13 months to appoint Shawcross to lead it, after the government’s first choice, Lord Carlile, was forced to step down in December 2019. The government initially committed in law to complete and respond to the review by August 2020 but removed this requirement in new legislation. Source: William Shawcross’s selection for Prevent role strongly criticised | Prevent strategy | The Guardian

The UK government on Tuesday named the former head of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, to lead its long delayed independent review of Prevent in a move that is likely to further enrage critics of the contentious counter-terrorism strategy. Shawcross’s appointment comes after the government was forced to drop its initial choice for the role, Lord Carlile, in December 2019 after his appointment was the subject of a court challenge over his past advocacy for Prevent. In February last year, the Home Office said it was committed to appointing a reviewer through an open and transparent process after human rights campaigners threatened it with further legal action. Source: UK Prevent review faces fresh criticism over Shawcross appointment | Middle East Eye