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A list of events where representatives of Prevent Watch attended and gave presentations, ran workshops, or formally contributed to discussions.

Dr Layla Aitlhadj from Prevent Watch presents at BRISMES on the Prevent duty and Palestinian student activism CategoriesPrevious Events

Prevent Watch speak at BRIMES on Prevent and Palestinian student activism

23 June 2026 – Director of Prevent Watch, Dr Layla Aitlhadj spoke at the BRISMES panel on Academic Freedom, Governance and Student Agency Under Colonial Constraints, presenting “Student Political Agency and the Governance of Palestine in UK Education.” Drawing on 850+ cases documented by Prevent Watch, she set out how Prevent operates on two levels – flagging individuals, and giving institutions a lawful basis to cancel events and vet speakers before anyone is ever referred. She traced this back through decades of UK state responses to student activism – from the Special Demonstration Squad’s surveillance of anti-apartheid students in the 1970s, to today. The point was to show that Palestine is the latest, not the first, target and that Prevent is the latest tool, the one with the most bureaucratic teeth to try and silence student activism. My argument: education isn’t targeted because it’s weak. It’s targeted because it’s powerful. […]

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BISA panel on uk security policy under reform CategoriesPrevious Events

BISA Roundtable: What would UK security policy look like under Reform?

What would Prevent look like under Reform? To discuss this, Dr Layla Aitlhadj joined Sophie Stowers from More in Common and Richard McNeil-Willson from the University of Edinburgh for a roundtable chaired by Larry Attree from Rethinking Security, as part of the British International Studies Association (BISA) conference. She said that the Prevent strategy is already open to abuse — by any government. Although a Reform government would be dangerous, the problem is Prevent because the infrastructure for harm already exists and has already been used. The question isn’t only what Reform would do with Prevent. It’s what any government can do — and already has done with it. If you would like us to speak about this topic, or any other topic related to Prevent, or run a workshop for your organisation, please contact us or fill in the form on this page.

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Poster for Parents of Palestine iftar event London 2026 CategoriesPrevious Events

London: Parents for Palestine iftar – Know your rights in school

March 8, 2026 – Dr Layla Aitlhadj spoke about the Prevent strategy and its impact on schools and children relating to Palestine at the Parents for Palestine – Know your rights in school” iftar event at Calthorpe Community Garden, London. Organised by Maslaha and Parents for Palestine, the community iftar centred on the experiences of parents and their children who experienced harm at schools when talking about Palestine. It also focused on helping parents know their rights in the face of repression and censorship, often through Prevent. If you or your organisation would like to organise a similar event or run a workshop, please contact us through our online form on this page.

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Prevent Watch guest lecture at guest lecture at Liverpool John Moores University CategoriesPrevious Events

Guest Lecture: Liverpool John Moores University

21 November 2025 – Dr Layla Aitlhadj, director of Prevent Watch, delivered a guest lecture to the Criminology and International Relations class at Liverpool John Moores University. The lecture, which was part of a final-year module titled ‘Security, Terrorism and War’, gave students critical insights into the Prevent Strategy from its beginning. Dr Aitlhadj highlighted the ways in which Prevent constructs ordinary behaviour, especially amongst racialised Muslim communities, as suspect. If you would like Prevent Watch to present a talk on a similar topic, or any other topic, or run a workshop for your organisation, please contact us or fill in the form on this page.

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Dr Layla Aitlhadj speaking about why the Prevent duty is Islamophobic at Bradford City Hall CategoriesPrevious Events

Bradford: Why the Prevent duty is Islamophobic

4 November 2025 –  Dr Layla Aitlhadj gave a presentation as part of Islamophobia Awareness Month at Bradford City Hall at an event, which had the theme ‘Flip the Script’. Dr. Aitlhadj addressed a full hall on how the Prevent duty embeds Islamophobia in public services. In the associated panel discussion and Q-and-A, she responded to questions from local community members, as well as local council members, police and Prevent practitioners themselves. To have Prevent Watch present a similar talk where you are, please contact us by filling in the form on this page.

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Dr Layla Aitlhadj addressing the Prevent Watch annual event 2025 CategoriesPrevious Events

Prevent Watch Annual Event 2025

Addressed by Dr Layla Aitlhadj, Prof John Holmwood and other notables including – not least – some of our clients who provided unforgettable accounts of their experiences of Prevent, the Prevent Watch annual event 2025 offered excellent opportunities to connect and reflect on a busy year. You can take a glimpse of some pictures of the event here. To connect with us and hold a workshop or event with us, please fill in the form on this page. 

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Presentation on the Prevent duty and Civil Liberties at Portcullis House CategoriesParliamentary Work Previous Events

Portcullis House: The Prevent Duty and Civil Liberties presentation

On November 15, 2025, Prevent Watch director Dr Layla Aitlhadj presented at Portcullis House on the Prevent duty and Civil Liberties at an event organised by SOAS Influencing the Corridors of Power (ICOP). Dr Aitlhadj spoke alongside the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation Johnathan Hall KC and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham John Holmwood. The event was chaired by Prof. Alison Scott-Baumann Professor of Society and Belief (SOAS) and hosted by John MacDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington. A recording of the event is available here. A written summary of Dr Aitlhadj’s presentation is available here. If you would like to arrange a similar presentation or on any other topic related to Prevent, please fill in the form on this page. 

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Poster for Prevent Watch Children's Rights Conference CategoriesPrevious Events

Protecting children’s rights with the Prevent duty in our classrooms

Dr Layla Aitlhadj and Prof John Holmwood were in discussion in this well-attended webinar with barrister Olly Persey.  The discussion followed the history of Prevent in the classroom, the broader context that facilitates the acceptance of the Prevent duty in UK schools, as well as the ways in which Prevent interacts with certain laws and how a referral might be challenged through the law. If you would like a member of Prevent Watch to provide a workshop on this topic, or any other topic, please contact us via the form on the Events page.

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CategoriesPrevious Events

The Prevent strategy and its impact on university staff about Palestine

Dr Layla Aitlhadj spoke about the Prevent strategy and its impact on discussions around Palestine among university teachers and staff at a conference at Lancaster University. The conference aimed at addressing care, trauma and emotions in teaching and support structures at universities. If you would like to arrange a similar presentation or workshop on Prevent and Palestine for your educational or other context, please fill in the online form here.

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CategoriesLatest Expert Views Previous Events

Prevent Watch reports back from Northern Race Equality Conference

On the 9th of April Prevent Watch was invited by Race Equality Network and Ella Baker School to deliver a workshop at the Northern Race Equality Conference held in Bradford. The event brought together a wide range of organisations, academics, and practitioners committed to addressing structural racism across the UK. Prevent policy reinforces structural racism The inclusion of Prevent in this forum reflected a growing consensus that the Prevent duty has entrenched racial inequality in public services. The fact that this conference was held in the North of England is of particular relevance given the long history of anti-racist organising in the region, from community resistance to the National Front in the 1970s and 80s, to the landmark Bradford 12 trial in 1982, when a group of young Asian men were acquitted of preparing petrol bombs in self-defence against racist violence. Northern cities like Bradford, Manchester and Sheffield, which are […]

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