Quaker trust gives £110k grant to group opposing counter-terrorism programme

A QUAKER foundation has given more than £110,000 to an organisation that campaigns against the Prevent counter-terrorism programme.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) made the grant to Prevent Watch, which argues that Prevent is Islamophobic and that it is “flawed science” to link “beliefs and religiosity to violence”. The JRCT was endowed by Quaker chocolatier Joseph Rowntree in 1904 and has a mission to “address the root causes of conflict and injustice”.

Last month, it made a grant of £110,187 to Prevent Watch to pay for a two-year programme labelled “building a coalition – outreach and engagement”.

Prevent Watch says it is an “independent, community-led initiative” supporting those impacted by Prevent”.

On its website, the group says it exists to “support clients and build confidence in communities by supplying people with the tools they require to challenge Prevent and the environment of fear that it has created.”

Prevent Watch claims the programme “evokes a language of fear and violence to criminalise religious and political beliefs” deemed by the Home Office to be extreme.

The group argues that Prevent is an example of “institutionalised Islamophobia” and “flawed science” because “Prevent’s assumptions linking beliefs and religiosity to violence has no credible evidential basis”.

Dr Layla Aitlhadj, the director of Prevent Watch who has called for Prevent to be “abolished”, previously worked as an operations manager at the controversial advocacy group Cage.

A JRCT spokesman said: “Prevent Watch’s activity focuses on scrutinising and addressing the impact of the Prevent strategy.

“JRCT considers it is a key part of a democratic society to be able to scrutinise and challenge government policy and that critically analysing Prevent and its impacts does not undermine the importance of measures to counter extremism.”

Dr Aitlhadj said: “In light of the evidence, we do not believe Prevent to be a fair, proportionate or effective means of countering terrorism, a stance echoed by numerous NGOs and several UN human rights rapporteurs.

“It’s ironic that proponents of Prevent, who claim to uphold democracy and the rule of law, stifle legitimate criticism of it, and even seek to silence debate.”