The UK Home Office has announced that extreme misogyny will now be classified as a form of extremism under new government plans. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has initiated a review of the UK’s counter-extremism strategy to address the growing threats posed by harmful ideologies, including the rising hatred of women.
The review will examine various forms of extremism in the UK, including Islamist and far-right ideologies, while placing a particular focus on extreme misogyny. According to Ms. Cooper, there has been an alarming increase in extremism “both online and on our streets,” which she warns is “fraying the very fabric of our communities and our democracy.”
The review will also investigate the radicalization of young people, aiming to understand the causes and methods that draw individuals towards these dangerous beliefs. Ms. Cooper emphasized that the strategy will “map and monitor extremist trends” to better disrupt and divert people from adopting such ideologies.
The review will also assess whether current policies adequately address the rise of harmful and hateful beliefs, with the goal of identifying any gaps that need to be filled to counter these threats effectively. Ms. Cooper pointed out that efforts to combat extremism have been “badly hollowed out” in recent years, making this review a crucial step in shaping a new counter-extremism strategy.
The initiative comes as part of a series of policy reviews launched by Labour since coming to power in July, including the Strategic Defence Review, a spending review, and an overhaul of the National Curriculum. The counter-extremism review, expected to be completed by October, will contribute to the development of a new strategy that responds to the “growing and changing patterns” of extremism across the UK.
Labour has defended the need for this review, highlighting that the last Counter Extremism Strategy was introduced in 2015, and stressing that an updated assessment of emerging threats is long overdue. While some critics may argue that reviews are a substitute for concrete action, the government’s focus on the issue suggests a renewed commitment to tackling extremism in all its forms.
This is not the first time that misogyny has been considered as a form of extremism by the government. Concerns over “Incel culture,” an online movement of young men who identify as “involuntarily celibate” and harbor resentment towards women, have persisted for years. The tragic mass shooting in Plymouth in 2021, where 22-year-old Jake Davison killed five people before taking his own life, was linked to Incel ideology. Although no significant policy changes followed that incident, the rise of social media figures like Andrew Tate, who openly promotes misogynistic views, may have prompted the current government to take a more decisive stance on the issue.
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