Human rights groups have loudly criticised the just-released independent review of Prevent, led by William Shawcross.
Barring a few minor adjustments, Shawcross, who was a terrible pick to lead the review, seems to think it is in working order. However, not everyone seems to agree.
The review’s executive summary talks up Prevent’s “noble motive”. Shawcross claims: “The government should be proud of Prevent’s positive impact in this regard.”
He rejects the charges levelled at the scheme for years, that it is draconian and prejudiced.
Among the review’s critics was Amnesty international. The charity’s UK racial justice director Ilyas Nagdee said: “This review is riddled with biased thinking, errors, and plain anti-Muslim prejudice – frankly, the review has no legitimacy.”
Nagdee added: “William Shawcross’ history of bigoted comments on Muslims and Islam should have precluded his involvement in this ill-starred review in the first place.”
While the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) said the review “doubled down” on the worst parts of Prevent.
Read more: The Shawcross review doubles down on Prevent’s worst parts – The Canary
Related resources
- The People’s Review of Prevent (Report, 2022)
- UK counter-terrorism report author accused of basing conclusions on ‘a handful’ of cases (News, 2023)
- Prevent review is a dangerous whitewash (News, 2023)
