Islamic extremists are being treated as victims rather than the public being protected from the threat they pose, an official review into the Government’s anti-radicalisation programme will warn.
The report into Prevent, due to be published on Wednesday, is expected to find that officials have been too focused on addressing the “personal vulnerabilities” of extremists, with terrorism treated as a mental illness.
William Shawcross, the review author and former chairman of the Charity Commission, is set to say this “mischaracterisation” of radicalisation has meant officials have failed to tackle the ideological beliefs behind Islamist extremism with “potentially serious consequences”.
