Teenage boys face investigation by anti-terrorism officers if they make sexist remarks in the classroom, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The Home Office is considering plans to allow teachers to report misogynistic comments to the government’s Prevent programme, which was set up to combat Islamic extremists. Even comments about a ‘woman’s place being in the kitchen’ could be enough to spark a referral to the unit, sources said last night.
Critics say the move would dilute Prevent’s work in deradicalising potential terrorists at a time of huge global tensions.
The plan – which would place sexism on a par with Islamic extremism – was discussed in high-level meetings between Home Office and Prevent experts in recent weeks. The Home Office is looking at widening the Prevent programme to combat growing misogyny among teenagers, fuelled by vile social media influencers such as Andrew Tate, but some civil servants warn the plans risk reducing the anti-radicalisation unit to becoming ‘a wing of social services’.
One Prevent source said last night: ‘Lots of young boys hold extreme sexist views about girls, which teachers will hear and make referrals. This will then overload the system, and Prevent will not be able to concentrate on Islamist or far-Right extremism.’
Critics say the move would dilute Prevent’s work in deradicalising potential terrorists at a time of huge global tensions. (Stock photo)
Critics say the move would dilute Prevent’s work in deradicalising potential terrorists at a time of huge global tensions. (Stock photo)
Last year, a highly-critical Government report accused Prevent of a ‘loss of focus’ and warned the public were increasingly at risk because the body had become distracted by far-Right and mental health cases rather than concentrating on Islamists.
Leading terrorism experts cautioned against the plans last night.
Professor Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University, said: ‘Prevent should not spread itself too thinly. There is a lot of horrible misogyny out there, but I feel teachers can have a word with pupils to stamp it out.’
And Lord Carlile of Berriew, the former Independent Reviewer of Counter-Terror Legislation, warned that Prevent should not police misogynistic thoughts
He said: ‘If there is a young person who is showing signs of extreme misogyny to an extent that it can be regarded as extremism, then it’s a very good idea to deal with it as soon as possible.
‘But it should not be a routine. Prevent is not there for every expression of a thought that might be misogynistic. Prevent is a counter-terrorism measure, not a counter-extremism measure, so if cases are going to be referred to Prevent, they have to be of quite a high level.’
So-called ‘incels’ – or involuntary celibate men who aggressively blame women on them being single – have been behind a number of mass shootings in America. But in Britain there has been one such recorded case, that of Jake Davison, 22, who shot dead five victims in Plymouth in 2021 before killing himself.
Experts say misogyny is at an ‘all-time high’ in schools and sixth-form colleges as a result of social media influencers like Tate, a former kickboxing champion who has more than 10 million followers on X and whose videos have been watched more than 12 billion times on TikTok.
Experts say misogyny is at an ‘all-time high’ in schools and sixth-form colleges as a result of social media influencers like Tate (pictured)
The 36-year-old –who says women are ‘intrinsically lazy’, and ‘barely sentient beings’ – is currently awaiting trial in Romania for sex with a minor, human trafficking and money laundering.
Bedfordshire Police have also issued an arrest warrant on him for rape and human trafficking. He denies all the allegations.
One Prevent expert – who said officers have never been trained to deal with extreme misogyny – said: ‘I’ve had teachers take me aside and ask me what help I can provide on Andrew Tate. She has had boys telling her they will not listen to her because she is a woman.’
Prevent was set up in 2006 to combat the threat of Islamic terrorism in the UK following the 7/7 London bombings which killed 52 commuters.
Hundreds of Prevent officers now work inside police forces and local authorities to identify potential extremists, and intervene with a programme of deradicalisation.
The plans to widen the remit of Prevent comes as part of a wider ‘rapid review’ of counter-extremism strategy following the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel last year, which left 1,195 dead.
In July, the National Police Chiefs Council published a report which warned violence against women and girls had become a ‘national emergency’, with more than 3,000 crimes recorded each day. Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth said young men were at risk of being radicalised by the likes of Tate in the same way that terrorists draw in followers.
Ministers announced a review of Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy soon after Labour won power in July ‘to identify any gaps in policy which need to be addressed to crack down on those pushing harmful and hateful beliefs and violence’. Its findings are expected early next year.
The Home Office said the review into the strategy was ongoing, adding: ‘Incels are considered from a counter-terrorism perspective on a case-by-case basis, and will continue to be monitored as an emerging threat.’
A Home Office source added misogyny cases will be referred to Prevent if the individual shows signs of extremism or radicalisation.
We must fight scourge of sexism, but not like this
By Julie Bindel
Undoubtedly misogyny is on the rise among boys and young men, some of whom are egged on by the hateful lyrics of rap and drill music, while others are awed by online influencers who make money from stirring up resentment and violence.
But obligating teachers to report them to Prevent – originally established to deradicalise Islamist extremists – is actively unhelpful.
A teacher who discovers a 14-year-old is making extremely sexist comments should not hesitate to collar the boy, explain to him in no uncertain terms the deplorable nature of his behaviour and, in the most severe cases, such as sharing nude images, contact the police. That’s the obvious response.
The interpretation of words said in the playground might well depend on the sensibilities of the teacher. (Stock image)
Telling him it’s an extremist offence to be referred to the counter-terrorism squad does nothing to make him and boys like him grasp the reality of male violence – and could well have the opposite effect, by glamorising it.
And who is to decide what is worth reporting? The interpretation of words said in the playground might well depend on the sensibilities of the teacher. Moreover, is this scheme only the concern of acolytes of online influencers meaning that the misogynistic behaviour of pupils steeped in rap culture go unreported by teachers fearing accusations of racism?
The Home Office’s review into how ‘extreme misogyny’ can be folded into Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy is a dangerous diversion of resources. Prevent was founded in the wake of the atrocities committed by Islamic extremists, which remains the principal terrorist threat to the British public.
The loathing of women should be addressed at home, in school, by social services and the police, but not by counter-terrorism experts. Violent sexism is a threat to every woman in this country, and we have to put a stop to it. But by using the laws we have and making them stick.
