PREVENT - Two wrongs don’t make a right

London – The latest figures released by the Government shows an increase in PREVENT referrals. These referrals overwhelmingly target the Muslim community, especially children, and is creating a “suspect” community where children and their families are being dragged through disastrous state intervention. Sixty-five percent of the referrals are Muslims, and the likelihood of Muslims being referred to PREVENT is now 113:1 from the rest of the general population. The government claims there have been 7,631 PREVENT referrals, but this ignores the climate of fear created by PREVENT which has led to many more formal and informal interventions by public sector workers which do not make these official statistics. Muslims in their day-to-day activity are being treated as “suspects” by public sector workers under the PREVENT policy. Ibrahim Mohamoud, spokesperson for CAGE, said: “The massive over reporting and racial profiling is due to the fact that the PREVENT policy has no scientific basis. The science does not exist and these figures reinforce the bare fact that the policy does not work. The Government’s own figures show that 95% of people referred to PREVENT required no Channel intervention.” “The idea that a failed policy that has largely impacted on Muslims should be implemented against other communities, is not a position that should be endorsed. Seeking credibility by applying PREVENT on other communities does not make it okay.” “We again call on the Government to repeal the PREVENT Policy, roll back the training and make every effort to repair the damage that has been done.”   Press enquiries: Ibrahim Mohamoud press@cageuk.org   CC image courtesy of Michael Coghlan on Flikr