Prevent critics 'on side of extremists,' says home secretary Sajid Javid

Sajid Javid - PA
Sajid Javid - PA

Sajid Javidhas attacked some critics of the government’s Prevent anti-terror scheme for being “on the side of the extremists.”

The Home Secretary warned there were organisations putting out propaganda and false information to turn people away from Prevent, which aims to combat radicalisation that might lead people into terrorism.

"There are organisations out there that are trying to find ways to warp young people's minds and they put out what you might call propaganda or false information to try and turn people away from it. We have to fight against that," he said.

Asked if its name should be changed as some critics have advocated, he said: "The thing about the name is that if you didn't call it Prevent, whatever other name we chose I'm sure there would be people trying to attack it because they actually are on the side of extremists."

Mr Javid did not name any groups but the most vocal critics have been Cage, Prevent Watch and the Muslim Council of Britain.

178246556_choudary-homepage_1.jpg - Credit: Jeff Gilbert
Prison release of Anjem Choudary Credit: Jeff Gilbert

Cage was last month urged by police to remove a “deliberately misleading” online film in which a Muslim woman claims she was “raided” by counter-terrorism officers moments after giving birth.

The woman was the wife of convicted Islamist extremist Michael Coe, a Muslim convert who became the bodyguard to jailed hate preacher Anjem Choudary.

Cage says the video account was honest and truthful, and the nature of the raid was not justified.

Mr Javid said there was a need to "bust myths" about Prevent. "What we have found is that when you sit down with communities and explain what Prevent is - to turn young people away from extremism, whether that's some kind of warped Islamist ideology or extreme right-wing ideology - very quickly people absolutely understand it, they support it," he said. "Sadly though there are people out there that support the extremists.”

He said that since 2015, 500 people have been assessed as no longer being of concern to authorities after going through the programme. "That has changed round their lives," Mr Javid said.

 Prevent was introduced in 2003 and is intended to stop vulnerable people becoming radicalised, joining extremist groups and carrying out terrorist activities.

In recent years, Prevent has seen an increase in numbers of those at risk of right wing extremism referred to it.

Since its introduction, it has been attacked for alienating the people it is trying to reach with criticism from a UN rapporteur, Labour and human rights groups.