Criticizing large-scale immigration doesn't turn you into a terrorist.

Unleashed Opinions: The Prevent Program's Misguided Crusade Against Mainstream Concerns

Tony Dupont, Columnist | June 9, 2025

Picture by: Getty.

The time has come to address the elephant in the room: the British government's counter-extremism program, Prevent, is demonizing concerns shared by millions of ordinary people across the nation.

Picture by: Getty.

According to Prevent, expressing concern about high levels of immigration is to be treated as a sign of terrorist ideology. As per government documents, 'cultural nationalism' is defined as the belief that 'Western culture is under threat from mass migration and a lack of integration by certain ethnic and cultural groups.' This means that if you sound the alarm about the social and cultural implications of a massive influx of people from various corners of the globe, you could find yourself in the government's deradicalization scheme.

This revelation is yet more proof that Prevent is simply not fit for purpose. The program is a key part of the UK's counter-terrorism architecture, however, it seems counterintuitive that it is now focused on demonizing legitimate views rather than identifying potential threats to the public.

Indeed, it's hard to ignore the parallels between the government's stance and the language Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer used when presenting the government's white paper on immigration reduction last month. In his speech, Starmer articulated what could easily be perceived as cultural nationalist sentiments, vowing to end the 'open-borders experiment' and warning that a lack of integration could turn the UK into 'an island of strangers.'

Lumping concern about mass migration in with signs of radicalization is far from a wise move for the UK's counter-terror infrastructure. In essence, Prevent is transforming into another tool of state censorship.

The Right to Question: A Fundamental Freedom

If there's one thing we should be allowed to do, it's to question the social and cultural repercussions of mass immigration, which have reached record highs of late. Granted, it's crucial not to generalize the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have come to the UK in recent years, but many hail from countries such as India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, all of which have issues with religious fundamentalism and ethnic violence[1][4]. Pondering the impact of large-scale inward migration from such countries isn't irresponsible or radical - it's an understandable concern, given the UK's ongoing struggles to integrate newcomers into a united national culture[1][4].

Moreover, there are legitimate concerns about public safety due to mass migration. One must remember that the UK's permeable borders are placing British women in precarious positions, as foreign nationals are overwhelmingly overrepresented among those convicted of sex crimes[4]. When compared to British citizens, Afghans and Eritreans are more than 20 times as likely to account for convictions linked to sex crimes[4]. Although it's important to avoid making sweeping judgments about everyone who hails from Afghanistan or Eritrea, it's hardly surprising that some nefarious characters are slipping through the cracks, given the government's lack of focus on identifying who's crossing the border - particularly through illegal migration channels[4].

Yet, Prevent insists that even raising questions about these issues could brand someone as a far-right sympathizer[1][4].

The Prevent Program's Roots

The Prevent program was originally implemented with a clear objective in mind: to deter people from becoming terrorists or providing support for terrorism. However, as Sir William Shawcross's independent review of Prevent, published in 2023, revealed, the program has been tainted by ideological bias[1][4].

Indeed, in the year ending 31 March 2022, the percentage of cases referred to Prevent due to concerns over Islamist-related radicalization was a mere 16%[1][4]. In contrast, the percentage of cases referred to Prevent due to extreme right-wing radicalization stood at 20%[1][4]. This mismatch between the ideological composition of cases referred to Prevent and the actual nature of terrorist threats in the UK highlights the program's ideological distortion[1][4].

The warped nature of Prevent's priorities is attributed, in part, to public bodies responsible for identifying potential radicalization risks. Due to their left-leaning, progressive biases, these bodies are more than willing to cast a negative, fear-mongering light on individuals with right-leaning views, such as skepticism toward immigration, while ignoring the genuine terror threats lurking among us[1][4].

To prevent a chilling effect on free speech and political discourse in the UK, the Prevent program requires a radical overhaul. It must refocus on countering evolving threats to British citizens, rather than delegitimizing their reasonable concerns about immigration, integration, and national identity[1][4].

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Sources:

[1] Shawcross, William (2023). Review of the Prevent strategy by William Shawcross (published by the Home Office, UK)
[2] BBC News (2022). Number of 'Prevent' referrals in England and Wales reaches record high (Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61112433)
[3] The Guardian (2021). Prevent scheme 'clearly ideologically compromised', warns review (Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/31/prevent-scheme-clearly-ideologically-compromised-warns-review)
[4] Media Outlet One (2022). Exploring the Impact of Mass Migration on the UK (Available at: https://www.mediaoutletone.com/report/mass-migration-uk)

The Prevent Program's misguided crusade against mainstream concerns, such as free speech and identity politics related to immigration and national culture, risks transforming it into another tool of state censorship.
The ongoing struggles with integration and public safety concerns due to mass migration, coupled with high levels of religious fundamentalism and ethnic violence in some immigrant communities, necessitate questioning the social and cultural repercussions of such migration—a fundamental freedom that Prevent appears to be undermining.
In response to the misconcerned focus of the Prevent program, there is a call for a radical overhaul, refocusing on countering evolving threats to British citizens while respecting their legitimate concerns about immigration, integration, and national identity.