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We've just released our latest issue of the HOPE not hate magazine. It's all about the fight against extremism, how the Government's definitions are a barrier to tackling hatred, and what needs to happen to better equip us.
Get your hands on a free copy.
Become a member of the HOPE Action Fund today. |
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Are we winning the
fight against extremism? |
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Do you remember 2015? A time when the phrase Brexit was yet to be coined, and Donald Trump had never stepped foot in the White House.
It was also the last time the UK Government reviewed its counter-extremism strategy. A strategy that was out of date before it had even been published, and now - five years later - borders on almost total irrelevance.
At the time of publishing, this strategy - which was based on David Cameron's ideological belief in a predetermined set of 'British values' - was fundamentally flawed. It focused heavily on the behaviours of British Muslims, while ignoring behaviours from other communities.
In fact, its only focus on the far right was in two references to 'neo-nazism'. Even in 2015 it was beyond outdated to think about the far right as predominantly neo-nazi, when in reality the far-right extremist threat had shifted to focus on supposed 'anti-jihadism' and a hatred of Muslims in the UK.
The failures of this definition were evident in the years that followed as the police's National Public Order Unit - the team responsible for tackling extremism - refused to consider dangerous far-right groups like the English Defence League as being "extreme right wing", and instead focused on their threat to public order. This refusal to correctly categorise the EDL meant that police largely ignored the growing violent threat they presented to the British Muslim community.
In the last five years the threat of extremism has rapidly expanded, and in many ways has fundamentally changed.
While the threat of violent religious terror remains - as evidenced in the attempted attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices only days ago - the nature of terrorism itself has significantly broadened. The threat of far-right terrorism has grown, and recent years have seen a wave of terrorist attacks inspired by white nationalism and identitarianism that have stolen lives at a mosque in Christchurch, a synagogue in Poway and a Walmart in El Paso.
A recent report from HOPE not hate uncovered a group called The British Hand - a collection of teenagers who use social media to discuss their admiration for nazi-era figures, while simultaneuosly teaching one-another how to build weapons, and discussing potential targets.
On top of that, the threat of extremism no longer exists solely in violent terrorism. Online conspiracy groups like QAnon are expanding rapidly in the UK, aided by a vast digital apparatus that social media giants have shown little enthusiasm for tackling. Across the country people are being sucked into convoluted conspiracy theories that are damaging to themselves, those around them, and potentially many more.
It is now obvious to everyone except the UK Government that our collective definitions of extremism are out of date, and in reality they always have been. It is time for a new definition of extremism that allows us to better deal with the threats we face. We need a definition that seeks not just to foil those intent on causing harm to others, but also seeks to pull back from the brink those who have fallen into the harmful world of online conspiracy theories.
The latest issue of the HOPE not hate magazine explores these issues in full. We talk to experts from across the world of counter-extremism to discuss the many flaws in the way we currently tackle extremism, and explore what a new definition of extremism could look like, and how it could help us in the fight against hatred.
We also examine life after hate, with exclusive interviews with those who've left extremism behind, and tease out the difficulties in deradicalising those sent into our prisons.
This magazine is essential reading for anyone who believes in the struggle of HOPE over hate. Below are some excerpts from the magazine that we're hosting online, but if you'd like to read the full issue you can get a free copy by becoming a member of the HOPE Action Fund today.
Nick Lowles
HOPE not hate |
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| Can't wait to read? Check out some articles: |
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| How do we tackle the extremist threat? - Nick Lowles and Nick Ryan |
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| Get a magazine and help us to fight back. |
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This is a new and dangerous time for the British far-right. They're at a crossroads, unsure of what comes next.
The same can't be said of us. HOPE not hate is always ready: tracking and pushing back against the extremes in our society.
Help us to do that and get your hands on a free copy of the magazine: become a member of the HOPE Action Fund today.
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