Home Office facing libel case from Prevent campaigners

The Home Office’s soon-to-be-released Prevent review has been beset with criticism and boycotts – and one campaign group isn’t taking the review lying down. The government’s independent review of Prevent, already beset with a boycott, could be in for more troubles. Prevent Watch, a community group that supports victims of the programme, is now warning the Home Office of a defamation action. The group sent a formal letter to the Home Office expressing its concern at the possibility of having been named in the review. In plain language, Prevent reviewer William Shawcross continues to shift government and policing strategy towards “pre-crime.” That’s when groups considered ‘likely’ to commit a crime are targeted before any such crime has even happened. Dr. Layla Aitlhadj, director of Prevent Watch, spoke to the Canary about what needs to happen next for the Prevent programme: “What is required for the Prevent strategy remains very clear – that it is scrapped in its entirety and that the harms caused society and the pre-crime policies that it has embedded across institutions be actively undone,” she said. Read more on The Canary: Home Office facing libel case from Prevent campaigners Related Resources