Spotlight on:
What is Prevent?

The threat from terrorism in the UK is real. So, one can understand why the government might want to ‘get upstream’ and prevent people from becoming terrorists in the first place. ‘Prevention is better than cure’, though, it turns out, is a lot easier said than done. The government will soon publish the latest official review of the Prevent strand of the UK counter-terrorism strategy. Before they do, we at EachOther are dedicating a week of coverage to this important subject. We raise significant concerns about the compatibility of Prevent with the freedoms and protections guaranteed in the Human Rights Act; about the lack of confidence commanded in the community by the policy’s ‘independent’ reviewer; and about the need for government to listen to those most directly affected by the policy. During the week, we will hear from a range of grassroots organisations, including those who have dealt with some of the fallout from the Prevent programme and others who work themselves on the ground to support people out of extremism. We hope that we can illuminate some shared values and common ground; that our coverage informs what can be a heated set of public debates; and that policymakers will listen carefully to the lived experience of Prevent which we will be sharing on our pages.