Radicalisation and Extremism
1. The Government has defined extremism as:
‘1.1 ’Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:
- negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or
- undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights or
- intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).
The types of behaviour below are indicative of the kind of promotion or advancement which may be relevant to the definition and are an important guide to its application.’’
2. Children and young people can be radicalised in different ways:
- They can be groomed either online or in person by people seeking to draw them into extremist activity. Children or young people might be radicalised over the internet or through the influence of their peer network – in this instance their parents might not know about this or feel powerless to stop their child’s radicalisation;
- They can be groomed by family members who hold harmful, extreme beliefs, including parents/carers and siblings who live with the child and/or person(s) who live outside the family home but have an influence over the child’s life;
- They can be exposed to violent, anti-social, extremist imagery, rhetoric and writings which can lead to the development of a distorted world view in which extremist ideology seems reasonable. In this way they are not being individually targeted but are the victims of propaganda which seeks to radicalise.
2.1 A common feature of radicalisation is that the child or young person does not recognise the exploitative nature of what is happening and does not see themselves as a victim of grooming or exploitation. Extremists can target and groom impressionable young people through social media and the internet in order to influence their minds in much the same way that sexual predators operate online. Their message can have a powerful impact on someone who’s young and vulnerable; possibly unsure of their path in life, and who may lack confidence.
2.2 If you are concerned that a child, young person and/or their parents may hold extremist views or are at risk of being radicalised you have a duty to ensure that they receive support to prevent them from being drawn into terrorism.
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