On 18 August 2024, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a new approach to tackling extremist ideologies, focusing on extreme misogyny and online extremism. This initiative includes a rapid review commissioned by the Home Office that aims to identify gaps in the current system and develop an updated strategy to counter extremism.
Quick check to identify gaps in the system
The inquiry ordered by Cooper aims to assess the growing ideological spectrum and focus on extremist ideologies that have gained ground, including Islamist extremism, far-right extremism and extreme misogyny. The new inquiry will lay the foundation for implementing the Labour Party’s election promise to prevent adherence to hateful ideologies. This announcement comes after numerous warnings from police officers and former government advisers about the need to tackle the rise of extremism and the spread of dangerous material online.
Impact on freedom of expression
Treating extreme misogyny as a form of extremism has raised concerns about the risk of criminalising freedom of expression. However, Home Secretary Jess Phillips has stated that the same test as for right-wing extremism and Islamism should be used to assess these cases. Phillips stressed that while people are free to have their opinions, it is no longer acceptable to ignore the growing threat of online hatred against women.
