Misogyny, Islamism and right-wing extremism are among the trends that need to be analyzed, says the Interior Ministry.
British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a review of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy to determine how best to counter the threat posed by “extremist ideologies”, including misogyny.
Other ideological currents that the Interior Ministry will investigate include “Islamism” and right-wing “extremism”.
Cooper said the strategy will “map and monitor extremist trends” and explore ways to keep people away from them.
So far, around 460 people have appeared in magistrates’ courts in connection with the nationwide unrest in late July and early August, which was sparked by misinformation about the suspect in a knife attack in Southport, Sky News reported.
At least 72 people under the age of 18 are said to have been charged.
Several of them were charged with publishing material that contributed to the riots, including publishing written texts inciting racial hatred.
Although the unrest was primarily instigated by right-wing extremist provocateurs, many of these personalities have also held dual office in the past and made misogynistic statements.
One social media influencer blamed for spreading false information about the incidents that led to the riots is Andrew Tate, who is regularly accused of spreading messages that are biased against women.
Misogyny goes beyond mere words, and physical violence against women is still widespread in Britain: according to the campaign group Femicide Census, a woman is killed by a man every three days.
The rise in misogyny has also been linked to “incel” culture, which are people, mostly men, who describe themselves as “involuntarily celibate” and take out their anger on women and society in general.
Jake Davison, 22, killed five people in Plymouth in 2021 before shooting himself; the incident has been linked to incel ideology.
“For far too long, governments have failed to tackle the rise of extremism online and on our streets. And we have seen the number of young people becoming radicalised online increase,” said Cooper, who is part of the new British Labour government.
“That is why I have instructed the Home Office to undertake a rapid analysis sprint on extremism to map and monitor extremist trends, understand the evidence on what works to disrupt and dissuade people from extremist views, and identify any gaps in existing policy that need to be filled to tackle those who propagate harmful and hateful beliefs and violence.”
The inquiry is designed to develop a new strategy to combat extremism in the UK. Cooper had already criticised the previous Conservative government on the issue, claiming its strategy lacked practical plans.
