In March, the Government was told it must revise its Prevent guidance for countering extremism after the Court of Appeal ruled that some of the guidance violates free speech and is ‘unlawful’.
The ruling came after a judicial review by Dr Salman Butt, a Muslim writer accused of being a non-violent extremist. The Court of Appeal ruled that the Prevent guidelines on controversial speakers were not balanced and did not do enough to protect free speech in universities.
Counter-terrorism police urged companies and their employees to keep an eye on workers for signs of radicalisation, it was reported in early April. Prevent co-ordinator Nik Adams said warehouse staff in particular were a source of concern because they spend time with the same people ‘day in, day out’ with little contact from outsiders. ‘They create these echo chambers where vulnerable people could be drawn into a particular way of thinking’. Public sector workers are already subject to Prevent laws.
