Extremism, Prevent and education

Blog post by Shereen Fernandez, London School of Economics, UK

Right now in the UK, the topic of ‘extremism’ is once again gripping public consciousness. On 14th March 2024, Michael Gove MP, the communities secretary, unveiled a new government definition of extremism, which is:
 
‘the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:

1. negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or
2. undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).’

 
The unveiling of this new definition of extremism aims to target groups and individuals who, if defined as an extremist, will be blocked from engaging in government, working in public bodies, and receiving council grants. Extremists are not considered as lawless per se, meaning that they cannot be prosecuted but instead, are considered to be ‘unacceptable’ by government. Of course, any designation of extremism will have a direct impact on how such groups and individuals can operate in other spaces of significance, such as in religious institutions, where claims of hosting ‘extremists’ will set them back significantly. As shown in my Identities article on Prevent in schools, ‘When counter-extremism ‘sticks’: the circulation of the Prevent Duty in the school space’, the label of ‘extremism’, for Muslims especially,  is part of a long trajectory dating back to 9/11 which saw their significant securitization globally as a result of labels like this. 

The new definition of extremism, much like its predecessor which associated extremism with opposition to so-called fundamental British values, has drawn criticism even from within the Tory party itself. Gove and the government claim that an updated definition was much needed following 7th October 2023, which saw a sharp spike of alleged extremist behaviour targeting the UK’s unwavering support for Israel. Marches for Palestinian liberation were hailed as ‘hateful’ by ministers and there has been a substantial increase in the securitization of pro-Palestinian solidarity. Teachers in England are reportedly turning to Prevent, the UK’s flagship counterextremism programme, as a solution to many of their students talking and showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. This is unsurprising, given that a government document published on 19th October 2023 outlines how political expressions in schools should be ‘conducted sensitively’ and that support via Prevent is available ‘if teachers consider that abusive or discriminatory views indicate wider vulnerability to radicalisation’.
 
As put forth in my article, Prevent cannot be considered as supportive in any manner, given the way it stigmatizes and targets those racialized as Muslim. Prevent became a statutory duty in schools since 2015 and begins from the nursery stage. It requires staff members to report individuals who are susceptible to extremism and radicalization, ranging from Islamism to the far-right. A direct consequence of Prevent is that spaces of discussion and debate which may have been once available become exclusive in their nature; they become out of reach for racialized groups. As the article sets out, one does not need to be referred onto to Prevent to feel its securitizing logics and in schools, I put forth the argument that when policies like Prevent are in circulation, it creates affective ‘sticky’ encounters and spaces which renders racialized Muslims to feel its negative impacts. An important point to emphasize is that not only does the policy target Muslim students, but it will also have a direct impact on Muslim teachers too. Research for this article was conducted in 2017-2018 and even then, Muslim teachers expressed fears that their pro-Palestinian activism could be construed as potential extremism. The targeting of politically conscious individuals predates 7th October 2023, in many ways, when Palestinian solidarity gripped public consciousness more than ever before. It is clear though that Prevent and superficial modifications to definitions such as ‘extremism’ are about clamping down on Muslim political agency deemed threatening by the Government.
 
My article echoes calls for the complete abolition of structures like Prevent which exist in spaces of care and trust. As calls to criminalize protest and resistance mount globally, the article illustrates how securitizing policies like Prevent will dismantle trust in already racially fragmented spaces like schools. 

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Image credit: Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

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Read the Identities ​article:
Fernandez, Shereen. (2024). When counter-extremism ‘sticks’: the circulation of the Prevent Duty in the school space. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. DOI: 10.1080/1070289X.2024.2318092   OPEN ACCESS

Read further in Identities:

Securing whiteness?: Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the securitization of Muslims in education

Revisiting histories of anti-racist thought and activism

Critical race theory in England: impact and opposition