Free speech ‘under threat’ as Home Office branded ‘Orwellian’ over extremism guidance: 'Are we all terrorists now?'

The government's anti-radicalisation Prevent programme has reportedly classified concern about mass migration as a "terrorist ideology" requiring intervention, according to official documents.

An online training course, hosted on a government website, lists "cultural nationalism" as a belief that could lead to individuals being referred to the deradicalisation scheme.

Speaking on GB News, Christopher Hope said: "What I worry about is, is that how Home Office officials think about us? People concerned about immigration? Is that how they view us? That we could all be terrorists? It's totally ridiculous."

Political commentator Theo Usherwood responded: "It is, it is concerning, and I think you're right, Chris. I think once this gets across the desk of the Home Secretary, I imagine we'll see some sort of clarification going into next week.

"I'm sure Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, will be raising this. Nigel Farage no doubt will as well. So the pendulum will come back the other way. But you raise a valid point. Is this how we are, or how many members of the British public are seen, who have concerns about immigration?"

Anne Diamond said: "I mean, I certainly hope, don't you, that our politicians Kemi Badenoch, as you said, Yvette Cooper, I don't know are going to be outspoken about this. Will they have the courage to be outspoken about this?"

Christopher said: "I'd have thought so. I think it clearly offends against freedom of speech, all the things they profess to talk about."

Anne said: "It's freedom of thought as well, because it says belief that mass immigration is a problem qualifies you as being."

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Anne later added: "I can understand, if you work in Prevent, you are dealing all the time with people who are seriously problematic, who have horrible views, who may want to cause hurt, or hurt in some cases, and maybe they just get overwhelmed by that. They see so much of it, and their objectivity falls, doesn't it?

"But to call love of your country, and a belief that we have a cultural well, a culture that we want to preserve to call it cultural nationalism is terribly Orwellian, isn't it? They're making up words that make us sound as though we're all terrorists."

Prevent aims to identify people at risk of turning to terrorism, with schools, universities, hospitals and other public sector bodies having a legal duty to stop people being drawn into terrorism.

Personal details of those referred are retained on Prevent databases for at least six years and duplicated across police and intelligence systems.

The training materials define this as encompassing a conviction that "Western culture is under threat from mass migration and a lack of integration by certain ethnic and cultural groups", staff taking the course are told.

The programme's official "refresher awareness" course, hosted on Gov.uk, states that "cultural nationalism" is one of the most common "sub-categories of extreme Right-wing terrorist ideologies", alongside white supremacism and white/ethno-nationalism.

The Home Office responded: "Prevent is not about restricting debate or free speech, but about protecting those susceptible to radicalisation."