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Prevent Strategy should be scrapped, says Burnham

Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham has said that the Prevent counter extremism strategy should be scrapped.

Prevent is a part of the government’s wider counter terrorism strategy and puts a duty on public bodies, such as schools, prisons and hospitals, to report possible signs of radicalisation.

The duty has come under scrutiny, especially in relation to the duty of teachers to spot signs in school pupils, with critics claiming it it creates a toxic environment where the Muslim community feels like it is being spied on.

Speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Manchester, Burnham likened the duty to internment in Northern Ireland. He said it could be seen as highly discriminatory against one section of the community and leave Muslim’s feeling ‘unfairly targeted’.

Following his speech, Burnham told the Guardian that Prevent is ‘creating the conditions for more radicalisation not less’, reaffirming his call for the duty to be dropped.

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