The Independent Review of Prevent by Sir William Shawcross observes that many individuals of radicalisation concern appear to harbour antisemitic beliefs, in some cases expressing the intent to assault and kill members of the Jewish community. The Review consequently recommends that Prevent begin to address the anti-Jewish component of both Islamist and Extreme Right-Wing ideology. British institutions tasked with countering extremism should develop a far better understanding of Islamist antisemitism and its role in radicalisation to violence, better enabling practitioners and the policy community to tackle this particularly pernicious and powerful component of extremism. This report provides a resource to assist in the development of such an understanding, combining historical scholarship with statistical analysis and a summary of opinion from a diverse group of experts.

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The UK’s counter-radicalisation Prevent strategy has become one of the most well established soft-power counter-terrorism programmes in the Western world. It offers a far more subtle approach than alternatives such as sting operations or intrusive levels of surveillance by security services. Despite this, from its beginnings, Prevent has faced criticism from campaigners, academics, and community groups. There can be little argument that there are areas where Prevent needs reform and improvement. Yet it is questionable whether adopting the claims made by many of the programme’s critics would assist making Prevent any more effective.

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