Thursday, 16 February 2023 — Institute of Race Relations

Just two days after William Shawcross, reviewer of the government’s Prevent Programme, criticised its ‘expansive approach’ towards the ‘extreme right’, it was supporters of the far Right, some armed with hammers, that orchestrated a riot, hurling lit fireworks at the Suites Hotel, Knowsley, Merseyside, which housed asylum seekers (Far-right leaflets claimed ‘5-star Hotels for Migrants Whilst Brits Freeze’.) Displaying the patrician’s knack for ignoring the blatantly obvious, Shawcross had loftily surmised that ‘mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream right-leaning commentary’ have ‘no meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation’. No doubt, those politicians who, in the past months, have indulged in stigmatising rhetoric and inhumane policy will find consolation in Shawcross’s conclusion.
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