The United Kingdom is set to classify online misogyny – offensive comments against women on the internet – as a national security threat on par with terrorism.
Reclaim The Net noted that in the digital era, "it will no longer be enough to treat violence against women as 'simply' a criminal offense" in the United Kingdom. "This is likely to be elevated to the level of terrorism, and a threat to national security," the outlet added.
A review of the U.K.'s counter-extremism strategy commissioned by British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper used the terms "extreme misogyny" and "violence against women" interchangeably. According to the Telegraph, the British Home Office (BHO) ranks several categories of extremism as areas of concern. These include Islamism, far-right ideology, animal rights, the environment, and those related to Northern Ireland.
Aside from these, the BHO also keeps tabs on the "incel" (involuntary celibate) ideology. But the Telegraphnoted that "officials now fear that this category does not capture other forms of extreme misogyny."
Specifically, the review concerns "radicalized teenage boys" who are allegedly falling prey to so-called "misogynistic influencers." Cooper defended the initiative, saying the review was long needed amid existing guidance from the BHO being too narrow. She blamed the internet for this online radicalization supposedly happening to young people.
"For too long, governments have failed to address the rise in extremism both online and on our streets, and we've seen the number of young people radicalized online grow," Cooper said. "Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy."
The review of the BHO's extremism policy, alongside Cooper's comments, followed Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Mark Rowley's remark that violence against women and girls should be treated as a national security threat.
U.K. turning into a 1984-esque police state
According to Reclaim the Net, the U.K. has the so-called Prevent program in place that purportedly aims for early intervention against terrorism. Prevent "works in a similar way to programs designed to safeguard people from other harms, such as gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse."
"But now apparently those 'similar programs' covering ills other than terrorism will not suffice to tackle violence against women," the outlet added. It warned that teachers, health workers, and local authorities will have to report their suspicions to prevent under the terror category if Cooper's plan is implemented.
Moreover, Cooper appears to be planning to clamp down on individuals who "push harmful and hateful beliefs" – including those allegedly having a "fixation on violence." Given the plans of the BHO to tackle online misogyny, it should not be surprising if such a proposal gets traction under Cooper's tenure as home secretary.
William Shawcross, British commissioner for public appointments, chided Downing Street for its failure to fully implement his previous proposals to revamp the Prevent program. This failure, according to the Telegraph, arose from an ongoing bias within the program to tackle so-called "right-wing terrorism" instead of Islamic terrorism. Such a failure translated to the public being at higher risk from extremists and terrorists.
Cooper's initiative comes amid large-scale protests and riots triggered by the Southport stabbing incident, where Rwandan Axel Rudakubana killed three children and injured 10 other individuals. But instead of prosecuting the perpetrator, the Labor government under new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chose to blame social media. It has also upped the ante by arresting hundreds for merely exercising their right to speak out both online and in real life.
"At this point, it is unclear if this is a case of a politician feeling obligated to appear to be doing something in the wake of the unrest that exposed long-simmering problems in society – or if the 'new approach to countering extremism' will produce practical measures," Reclaim The Net concluded."
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