Three-Year-Old Placed In Government Anti-Extremism Programme

A three-year-old child from London has been placed in a government anti-extremism programme!

It was only in January that we reported that nursery school staff and registered childminders were being told to report toddlers at risk of becoming terrorists, under counter-terrorism measures proposed by the Government. Critics said the idea was “unworkable” and “heavy-handed” and accused the Government of treating teachers and carers as “spies”….but it is happening now and some kids are also being put into state care

The toddler is one of hundreds of young people in the capital who have been tipped as being potential future radicals and extremists.
The Evening Standard reported that 1,069 people had been put in the government’s anti-extremism ‘Channel’ process, a de-radicalisation programme at the heart of the Government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy.

The Independent reports: The three-year-old in the programme is from the borough of Tower Hamlets, and was a member of a family group that had been showing suspect behaviour.

Many of the government’s counter-extremism measures typically relate to older children and adults – buy very young children can be referred if authorities are concerned about the effect of their families on them.

In the past, police have gone through the family courts to bring care proceedings in cases involving these children, and measures have included taking away the children’s passports, to make it harder for them to be taken overseas.

With figures obtained from the London Assembly, the Standard found out that London accounted for around a quarter of all ‘Channel’ referrals nationwide since the start of 2012.

Since September 2014, 400 under 18s, including teenagers and children, have been referred to the scheme.