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Leaked sections of the report, published by Policy Exchange, recommend the government’s counter-extremism strategy shift focus to “behaviours of concern” rather than “ideologies”.<\/p>\n
Behaviours of concern include violence against women, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, fascination with gore or involvement in the online subculture called the “manosphere” – which promotes misogyny and opposition to feminism.<\/p>\n
According to Policy Exchange, the report admits many who display such behaviours would not count as extremist.<\/p>\n
Policy Exchange has not made public the leaked version of the Home Office report, but published its own assessment which quoted extensively from the document.<\/p>\n
The government’s current strategy, known as Contest, is “ideologically agnostic”. <\/p>\n
But counter-extremist officers focus most their efforts tackling Islamism and right-wing extremism – the two most dominant threats to the UK.<\/p>\n
MI5 Director Ken McCallum said in October that UK counter-terror efforts deal 75% with Islamist threats and 25% with far-right extremists.<\/p>\n
The report urges expanding extremism’s definition to cover, alongside Islamists and extreme right-wing:<\/p>\n
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extreme misogyny, <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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pro-Khalistan extremism, advocating for an independent Sikh state<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Hindu nationalist extremism, <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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environmental extremism, <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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left wing, anarchist and single-issue extremism (LASI),<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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violence fascination and,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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conspiracy theories<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The Home Office review found claims of two-tier policing, where two groups are allegedly treated differently after similar behaviour, were a right-wing extremist narrative leaking into mainstream debates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Policy Exchange authors, who released the Home Office findings, said the review “runs in the wrong direction”.<\/p>\n
Former journalist and government advisor Andrew Gilligan and Paul Stott, the head of security and extremism at Policy Exchange, said: “The purpose of counter-extremism and counter-terrorism is to defend the security of the country, its democratic values and institutions against those whose beliefs and acts intentionally threaten them. <\/p>\n
“Such threats come overwhelmingly from those with an ideological or political motive, principally Islamism but also far-right and other forms of extremism.”<\/p>\n
The report’s recommendations “risk swamping already stretched” security services, while redefining extremism “threatens free speech,” the authors said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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