The prevention of violent extremism

This chapter provides an explaination of the emergence of counter-terrorism policies in Britain following the London bombings of 7 July 2005. The issue of the ways in which the terrorist threat comes to be popularly understood is investigated, and the symbiotic relationships between the media, the government, and terrorists are reported. A brief exploration of the ‘securitisation’ of urban policy is also presented. The chapter then offers a discussion of the tension between security and civil freedoms, and the significance of the assault on support for human-rights principles for the understanding of both how the political process of putting Prevent in place, and evaluating its impact, have been shaped by these wider issues. The introduction of Prevent posed a challenge for local authorities and was met with a range of negative responses from within Muslim communities and elsewhere. Anti-Muslimism has been nurtured by the media environment in post-9/11 Britain.