Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has rejected calls in a leaked Home Office report for the definition of extremism to be expanded to cover misogynists, conspiracy theorists and the far-left.
The review suggested that extremism should be categorised as concerning behaviours and activity rather than ideologies, including spreading misinformation and involvement in ‘an online subculture called the manosphere’.
It says claims of ‘two-tier’ policing are an example of a ‘right-wing extremist narrative’ and that grooming gangs are an issue exploited by the far-right to stir hatred against Muslims.
After the details of the report were leaked by think-tank Policy Exchange, Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said he and Ms Cooper had rejected its recommendations despite having commissioned the review.
Emma Reynolds, the City minister, doubled down this morning by saying that ministers planned to continue focusing on Islamic extremism and far right ideology.
Asked if the Government was prepared to broaden the definition of extremism at all, she told Good Morning Britain: ‘We have rejected the recommendations in the leaked report, and we will be setting out our plans clearly when ministers come to the House of Commons to do that in the usual way.’
Among those pouring scorn on the review’s recommendation was former Met superintendent Dal Babu, who warned that a broadened definition of extremism would further strain police resources.
‘I think, to be perfectly honest, we’re at the moment struggling with the resources we have to deal with terrorism now,’ he told the BBC.
The report says there is now a ‘more diverse’ range of extremist beliefs ranging from anarchists and environmental protesters to those obsessed by school massacres and an online subculture of misogynists called the ‘manosphere’.
But experts at the Policy Exchange think-tank, who were shown a copy of the unpublished Home Office document, say this means downplaying the risks posed by radical Islamism and overwhelming the Prevent teams who try to try to stop those who have been radicalised turning to terrorism.
Paul Stott and Andrew Gilligan said last night: ‘Many of these supposed other extremisms simply do not meet the test of harming national security or safety.
‘Government should certainly be alarmed by, and should tackle, violence against women and other social harms – but they do not constitute extremism as defined up till now.
The ‘rapid analytical sprint’ launched by Ms Cooper in the wake of the Southport killings and the riots they sparked last summer also proposes a new approach to counter-extremism based on people’s actions and the harm they cause rather than the ideologies to which they subscribe.
It says there is now a ‘more diverse’ range of extremist beliefs ranging from anarchists and environmental protesters to those obsessed by school massacres and an online subculture of misogynists called the ‘manosphere’.
The report also urged ministers to increase police use of controversial ‘non-crime hate incidents’ as well introduce a new crime of ‘harmful communications’ to tackle online abuse of MPs, sparking concerns over freedom of speech.
The leaked review admits counter-extremism has ‘long been a tricky policy challenge for Government’ as extremism is broader than terrorism and covers everything from stirring up community tensions to spreading conspiracy theories.
It states: ‘The range of extremist beliefs and ideologies individuals subscribe to is becoming more diverse, from Extreme Right-Wing to Islamist Extremism to Extreme Misogyny to Left-Wing, Anarchist and Single-Issue Extremism.
‘Additionally, school massacre and online gore subcultures and conspiracy theories, while not ideologies, can lead to harmful fixations on violence.’
The claims in the document, written in November, were backed by Sir Keir Starmer last week when he warned of a ‘new threat’ of extreme violence from ‘loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom’.
And the sections on Extreme Right Wing ideology also echo the Prime Minister’s controversial claims that people who held protests over the Southport killings were ‘far-right’ and that politicians calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs were ‘amplifying what the far-right is saying’.
One page mentions grooming gangs as an example of ‘grievance narratives’ that can be exploited, stating: ‘Right Wing extremists frequently exploit cases of alleged group-based sexual abuse to promote anti-Muslim sentiment as well as related anti-government and anti-‘political correctness’ narratives.’
Another section refers to the idea which gained popularity in the wake of last summer’s riots that police and courts treat white offenders more severely than those from ethnic minorities.
It claims: ‘Right Wing Extremist narratives (particularly around immigration and policing) are in some cases ‘leaking’ into mainstream debates. Claims of ‘two-tier’ policing, where two groups are allegedly treated differently after similar behaviour, is a recent example.’
And a discussion of tactics states: ‘ERW actors have engaged in protest and at times violence. This often involves hijacking extant local grievances about perceived inequalities around access to resources (eg benefits, migrant ‘hotels’ etc).’
The report urges the Government to adopt an ‘ideologically agnostic approach to extremism, not basing its approach on a strict definition but on ‘behaviours and activity of concern’.
It recommends a ‘wider approach’ to tackle the problem including new ‘punitive measures’.
After Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty last week to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, Sir Keir Starmer said it was understandable that the public would look at the crime and ‘wonder what the word terrorism means’.
The Prime Minister said the teenager represented a new kind of threat, distinct from politically or ideologically motivated terrorism, with ‘acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom, accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety’.
He said that, if needed, the Government would change the law to recognise the ‘new and dangerous threat’ and ‘review our entire counter-extremist system to make sure we have what we need to defeat it’.
Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent anti-terror programme three times but those referrals were closed due to his apparent lack of a clear ideology.
Last night the Home Office stressed that none of the 38 recommendations in the report have been agreed by ministers so far.
A spokesman said: ‘The counter extremism sprint sought to comprehensively assess the challenge facing our country and lay the foundations for a new approach to tackling extremism – so we can stop people being drawn towards hateful ideologies. This includes tackling Islamism and Extreme Right Wing ideologies, which are the most prominent today.
‘The findings from the sprint have not been formally agreed by Ministers and we are considering a wide range of potential next steps arising from that work.’