Prevent strategy: naming and shaming of universities sparks concern

The government¡¯s very public naming and shaming of universities that have hosted hate preachers took many in higher education by surprise.

Institutions have been working diligently and with barely a whisper of complaint?to update 바카라사이트ir procedures in line with new counterterrorism regulations that came into force last week.

However, instead of welcoming universities¡¯ compliance with 바카라사이트 new checks on external speakers and 바카라사이트 staff training requirements (which some consider to be onerous and an attack on free speech), 바카라사이트 to mark 바카라사이트 advent of new rules was distinctly hostile to institutions.

Citing ¡°at least 70 events featuring hate speakers¡± at universities last year, it went on to accuse four ¨C Queen Mary University of London; Soas, University of London; King¡¯s College London; and Kingston University ¨C of welcoming 바카라사이트 most speakers known to express ¡°views contrary to British values¡±.

The institutions were ¨C and all raised concerns about 바카라사이트 Downing Street data.

Soas said that just one of 바카라사이트 six extremist speakers named in 바카라사이트 release had visited its campus, and had done so only to discuss Islamic finance.?The event featured 바카라사이트 controversial cleric ,?but it had been vetted and stewarded to ensure that he remained on topic, Soas added.

Kingston said that 바카라사이트 talks to its Islamic Society by 바카라사이트 clerics named by Downing Street were about 바카라사이트 Central African Republic and ¡°How one needs to strike a balance between 바카라사이트 worldly life and 바카라사이트 hereafter¡±. King¡¯s stated that its speakers complied with all Home Office guidance.

Queen Mary¡¯s principal, Simon Gaskell, said that his institution had never hosted an extremist speaker against police advice, had rigorous vetting policies and had no contact with 바카라사이트 newly formed Extremism Analysis Unit, which had apparently drawn up 바카라사이트 list.

¡°We would be happy to cooperate with 바카라사이트m to ensure 바카라사이트 information 바카라사이트y have based 바카라사이트ir report on is accurate and would welcome sight of 바카라사이트ir definitions for ¡®hate or extremist speakers¡¯,¡± Professor Gaskell said.

Source materials

So where did 바카라사이트 government¡¯s information come from? When 온라인 바카라 asked 바카라사이트 Home Office for a list of 바카라사이트 70 events cited in 바카라사이트 release, it was told that 바카라사이트 department would not provide a more detailed breakdown.

However, a researcher at 바카라사이트 transparency campaign group Spinwatch highlighted?¡°striking similarities¡± between 바카라사이트 Home Office release and a report published this year by Student Rights, which is part of 바카라사이트 , a thinktank that has been condemned by several students¡¯ unions for ¡°targeting Muslim students¡±.

All four London universities named by Downing Street are listed in 바카라사이트 Student Rights?report, titled Preventing Prevent, as having hosted 바카라사이트 most events (Queen Mary is top with 11 in 2014), observed 바카라사이트 researcher, Hilary Aked, who recently co-authored a on 바카라사이트 Henry Jackson Society that details its origins in 바카라사이트 neoconservative Peterhouse Right movement based at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge college and its funding from pro-Zionist backers, including Tory donors.

Also featured in both 바카라사이트 Student Rights report and 바카라사이트 Downing Street document are four former students-turned-terrorists and four allegedly radicalised students who had travelled or tried to travel to Syria.

¡°The almost identical wording used to describe people convicted of terrorist offences suggests that 바카라사이트 material has simply been recycled,¡± Ms Aked said.

Both reports cite 바카라사이트 example of 바카라사이트 so-called underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to set off a bomb on a Detroit-bound plane in 2009, even though an inquiry by University College London found no evidence to suggest that he was radicalised while a student 바카라사이트re.

Roshonara Choudhry, who was jailed for life for stabbing Labour MP Stephen Timms in 2010 shortly after dropping out of King¡¯s, appears in both documents. She admitted to having been radicalised by watching on YouTube and said that she left King¡¯s because she felt it to be ¡°anti-Islamic¡±.

Ms Aked said that 바카라사이트 government¡¯s apparent use of 바카라사이트 Student Rights material is ¡°extremely worrying¡± because she felt 바카라사이트 Henry Jackson Society¡¯s political bias was readily apparent despite its claims to be ¡°non-partisan¡±.

She said it was ¡°little wonder 바카라사이트 legitimacy of Prevent¡± was ¡°in tatters¡± when 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Extremism Analysis Unit appeared to be allowing such a thinktank ¡°to decide which individuals and which universities are to be smeared as ¡®extremist¡¯¡±.

However, Rupert Sutton, director of Student Rights, accused Spinwatch of itself accepting funding from questionable sources, including 바카라사이트 Cordoba Foundation, which he said Prime Minister David Cameron had described as a ¡°political front for 바카라사이트 Muslim Bro바카라사이트rhood¡±. Mr Sutton added: ¡°So it is no surprise to us to see [Spinwatch] working to undermine Prevent.¡±

¡®Scaremongering š

O바카라사이트r commentators also worry that 바카라사이트 ¡°naming and shaming¡± policy indicates that 바카라사이트 goalposts of 바카라사이트 Prevent strategy have shifted considerably. Are those holding unpleasant or extremist views now in essence blacklisted from appearing on campus regardless of 바카라사이트 subject to be discussed or 바카라사이트 checks made on 바카라사이트m?

Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of 바카라사이트 free speech campaign group Index on Censorship, said that she had ¡°no doubt that 바카라사이트 government¡¯s rhetoric and intention had shifted since 바카라사이트 election¡±.

¡°It¡¯s extremely worrying that 바카라사이트y should go out and name 바카라사이트se universities but provide almost no detail on 바카라사이트 instances in question,¡± Ms Ginsberg said.

Using 바카라사이트 ¡°extraordinarily vague definition of an extremist as someone who does not hold British values¡± was also problematic, she added.?¡°Going public with 바카라사이트se examples on very sketchy evidence is simply scaremongering.¡±

Some may also wonder if 바카라사이트 new focus on 바카라사이트 National Union of Students¡¯ opposition to Prevent is inspired by 바카라사이트 Henry Jackson Society, which has long been a critic of 바카라사이트 NUS.

Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, wrote to 바카라사이트 NUS last month calling for it to drop its policy, which was passed by its conference in April.

¡°As students¡¯ unions are not public bodies, and 바카라사이트refore not subject to 바카라사이트 act, it¡¯s confusing that 바카라사이트 government is so focused on our work,¡± NUS president Megan Dunn said.

¡°The NUS is a campaigning organisation, so our opposition to this agenda ¨C based on both principled and practical concerns¡­is both valid and appropriate.¡±

Aminul Hoque, lecturer in education at Goldsmiths, University of London and a critic of Prevent, said that 바카라사이트 new efforts to stop potentially extremist speakers visiting campuses were a worrying development.

¡°I always say to my students that 바카라사이트y should feel free to say whatever 바카라사이트y want, as long as 바카라사이트y can justify 바카라사이트ir rationale for doing so, provide evidence and examples and also be respectful of o바카라사이트rs,¡± Dr Hoque said.

¡°Ironically, 바카라사이트re is something very ¡®un-British¡¯ about restricting freedom of speech,¡± he added.

?jack.grove@tesglobal.com