ExtremismA Surge in Referrals of Far-Right Extremists to U.K. Counter-Extremism Program

Published 19 December 2019

The number of far-right radicals referred to the U.K. government’s Prevent counterextremism program has almost doubled in three years, official statistics show: 1,389 people were directed to Prevent in the year to March 2019 because of concerns about their radical-right activities, an annual increase of 6 percent — and a new record. That number is nearly double the figure from 2015-16. The number of suspected Islamist extremists being referred to Prevent in the year to March 2019 was 1,404, a drop of 56 percent in a year and considerably below the peak of 5,000 in 2015-16.

The number of far-right radicals referred to the U.K. government’s Prevent counterextremism program has almost doubled in three years, official statistics show.

The Independent reports that 1,389 people were directed to Prevent in the year to March 2019 because of concerns about their radical right activities, an annual increase of 6 percent — and a new record. That number is nearly double the figure from 2015-16.

The number of suspected Islamist extremists being referred to Prevent in the year to March 2019 was 1,404, a drop of 56 percent in a year and considerably below the peak of 5,000 in 2015-16.

In September, the U.K. counterterrorism agency said that far-right terrorism as the fastest-growing threat to the United Kingdom, while noting that jihadis still represented the more severe danger. Neil Basu, the director of the U.K. counterterrorism agency, revealed then that seven out of 22 plots foiled since March 2017 had been linked to white supremacist ideology, with some of the proponents mimicking techniques used in jihadist attacks.

The goal of the Prevent program, which was launched more than a decade ago, is to prevent vulnerable individuals from being radicalized — and intervene before any crime has been committed. The program aims to identify individuals at risk and provide them with mentoring, training, and mental health support.

The data released Thursday shows that U.K. schools were responsible for 33 percent of all referrals last year. The Prevent relies on teachers, social workers, and family members to offer information on individuals who show signs of radicalization and extremism.

Prevent’s Thursday figures show that 5,378 individuals were referred to the program, the lowest since comparable data were available four years ago. The majority, 87 percent, were male, with 58 percent aged 20 or lower. The more serious cases under Prevent are passed to a voluntary “Channel panel” chaired by local authorities, who then provide support from health workers, social services, counsellors, and religious mentors.

Out of the 561 Channel cases in the year to March 2019, 254 involved rightwing radicalization and 210 involved Islamist radicalization.

In the last few years, Prevent has been the subject of growing criticism. Muslims charge that the program has encouraged intrusive and unjustified spying on Muslim communities, and that children as young as nursery-age were being scrutinized for potential extremist leanings. The House of Commons home affairs select committee warned two years ago that Prevent had become “toxic brand” among some Muslims, leading fewer British Muslims to refer suspected radicalized individual to it. The House committee called for an independent review of the program’s methods.