Guardian: In the last year, there has been growing unease around the government’sPrevent strategy. The UN special rapporteur, along with human rights groupsand the government’s own independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, have voiced serious concerns. MPs and peers from the joint select committee on human rights have also called for an independent review.
Last summer, the government’s counterterrorism policy became a legal duty in schools and nurseries and for childcare providers. With just a few hours of training, a host of public sector workers were now expected to spot people who might be vulnerable to radicalisation, and refer them to the government’s deradicalisation programme, Channel.
The controversy around it has been growing as figures for the number of people reported to Channel shoot up. In March it was reported that almost 4,000 people – triple the number reported the year before – had been referred to Channel; almost 11 people a day. The Times reported that last year 1,041 children were referred by schools (in 2012 there were only nine).
Categories: Anti-Islam Attitude, Intolerance, The Muslim Times, UK