Rights & Security International (RSI) has raised concerns about trends suggested by UK data on race and ethnicity from Prevent and Channel referrals.
The London-based human rights organisation says the data it has obtained from the Home Office prompts concerns that people recorded as Asian and cases recorded as “Islamist related” have been subject to comparatively greater scrutiny than other ethnic groups and types of ideology in the years 2015 to 2019 (the years covered by the released data).
RSI obtained data covering the years 2015 to 2019 through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request and analysed it with sociologist Dr Zin Derfoufi of St Mary’s University London.
Despite decreases over time in the Channel caseloads of people recorded as Asian, Home Office data on terrorism-related criminal arrests and charges shows Asian Britons are more likely to face terror-related criminal justice measures.
The Home Office initially refused the request, and its decision not to release the data on the grounds of national security (Section 24 of the Freedom of Information Act) was upheld following an internal review.
RSI has raised concerns about the independence of the Prevent Review that recently published a report after more than a year’s delay.
Read the full statement on the RSI website.
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