OFFICIAL Regional NORTH EAST Prevent Champions Handling / Dissemination Guidelines: Issue 3 Spring 2021 This document remains the property of the CTP NE and is classified as OFFICIAL. It must be afforded a level of protection 1. Welcome commensurate with its classification. This document MUST remain 2. News in its original format and MUST NOT be altered without prior approval or the originator. The contents cannot be disclosed or 3. Brief Overviews disseminated without prior agreement from the authorising officer. 4. Spotlight This material is exempt from disclosure under the relevant Freedom of Information Acts and may be subject to exemption 5. Regional Inputs under the environmental information regulations and Data 6. Useful Resources Protection Act 2018. Welcome Welcome to the third edition of the Prevent Champions Newsletter for the North East Region. As we enter spring of 2021, we have now endured a whole year of unprecedented restrictions and have managed to continue our essential work under very challenging circumstances. There are however positive signs emerging in many areas, and with continuing vaccine roll-out, and an ever- greater understanding of the virus, things can only improve towards a new normal. The closely monitored threat level was lowered from severe to substantial on February 4th meaning a terrorist attack is still likely, and in reality means no change in the work undertaken by Prevent and its partners.1 Online radicalisation continues to be of major concern to society, and to those of us charged with safeguarding the vulnerable. Whilst rollout of vaccines offering significant chances of a return to normality continues, significant disinformation campaigns are praying on the fears of the susceptible, adversely affecting each and every one of us. Significantly increased amounts of time spent online, and away from family, can both expose us to extremist messaging and increase feelings of isolation. In such an environment groups promoting misinformation about the Covid-19 virus or other extreme agendas are flourishing. Particular thanks go to all our policing colleagues for continuing to generate Prevent referrals in significant numbers. 1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55982743 OFFICIAL 1 The contents of this bulletin should not be disseminated beyond the intended readership. OFFICIAL News New app launched for reporting terrorist material as extremists ‘exploit pandemic' The Independent, 23/02/2021 A new app is launched for reporting terrorist material anonymously online, ‘iREPORTit’ Canadian 'incel' killer found guilty of murder over Toronto van attack The Guardian 03/03/2021 Alek Minassion who killed 10 people when he drove a rental van down a crowded Toronto pavement has been found guilty of murder, after a judge rejected defence arguments that he could not understand the consequence of his actions due to a diagnosis of Autism. Leeds neo-Nazi Mark Collett behind far-right group Patriotic Alternative pushing 'hateful' home schooling with racist songs Huddersfield Daily Examiner 21/02/2021 Mark Collett who runs Patriotic Alternative is promoting an extensive alternative school curriculum. Brief Overviews Prevent delivery is underpinned by our understanding of the threat and radicalisation process, by assessments of the threat picture in local areas, and through continuous research and evaluation. CONTEST 2018.2 The focus of this edition will be on words and images used to convey and communicate extreme agendas. Right-Wing Signs and Symbols Swastika Pepe the frog as Siegel rune Proscribed group The Fourteen Words Donald Trump National Action Both the real world and the online world are awash with images competing for our attention. As with any messaging it is the context that is crucially important, defining whether a sign or symbol is non-threatening, or promoting harmful extremism. There are few symbols and phrases which fall entirely into one camp or the other, with even the swastika having legitimate uses in certain contexts. 2 Contest (2018), 102, www.gov.uk/government/publications OFFICIAL 2 The contents of this bulletin should not be disseminated beyond the intended readership. OFFICIAL Overt symbols like the swastika are well known, but lesser known symbols such as that of the proscribed Group ‘National Action’ are equally concerning. In a certain context both ancient runes and internet memes of frogs can become Right-wing symbols. Similarly, words and phrases exist on a scale from overt to extremely niche covert messaging. Whilst “Sieg Hiel” as adopted by the Nazi party is acknowledged as overtly racist, the most common White Supremacist phrase is the 14 words, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children”.3 More obscure phrases such as the 5 words, “I have nothing to say”, replace the words “no comment” in any interactions between the White Supremacist community and the police. The utilisation of numbers to represent significant people, events or concepts and the substitution of numbers for letters provides a covert language only recognised by the initiated, again running from the better known to the obscure. Using a simple alphabetic conversion of A=1, B=2 etc. gives the following; • 18 – for Adolf Hitler. • 88 – for “Heil Hitler”. • 4 20 – Hitler’s birthday on the 20th April. • 311 – The eleventh letter written 3 times, KKK (Ku Klux Klan). • 23 – The twenty third letter, W, representing white. • 14 – The fourteen words. • 6 – The six words, “Never date outside of your race”. • 5 – The five words, “I have nothing to say.” Some numbers are just meaningful in themselves; • 100 – 100% white. • 2066 – The “projected” date of the onset of the white population becoming a minority in the UK. • 9 – Representing 9% as a projected or current (disputed) percentage of the World’s population that is white. Some numbers can be combined to produce a longer sentence, • 14 88 – the fourteen words and “Hiel Hitler’ • £14.88 – It is not uncommon for items on extreme Right- wing websites to be listed for sale at £14.88. Appropriation of other symbols and hybridisation between them is a continual process. In this manner the original left wing cartoon character Pepe the frog is now firmly associated with the Far Right (shown above as Donald Trump), and the ancient European Runic languages were modified and adopted by the Nazi party, such as the use of two sigel runes for the ‘SS’ logo of the Nazi uniform. Further information can be found here Further information can be found here in a comprehensive online database. Hate Symbols Database | ADL 3 Adl.org/hate-symbols?cat_id%5B149%5D=149 OFFICIAL 3 The contents of this bulletin should not be disseminated beyond the intended readership. OFFICIAL The Hundred Handers The Hundred Handers exist as a Right-wing group which first began to be noticed in 2018. Their name is possibly taken from the giants of ancient Greek mythology who possessed 50 heads and 100 arms. They are Right-wing Identitarian group who are promoting a white ethnic cultural identity. The Group utilises the ‘hands’, as anonymous individuals, to print and place stickers in the community. The slogans are selected by the hands according to their preference from an approved list held by the anonymous “head”. Recently the anonymous head has been revealed as a former activist with the proscribed group National Action. He is additionally associated with the recently formed Far-Right group ‘Patriotic Alternative’. The Hundred Handers utilise relatively innocuous phrases such as “Pubs closed, borders open”, alongside more openly racist messages such as “they have to go back” and the deeply disturbing “We are more than a passport. Blood and Soil.” Blood and Soil is a translation of the Nazi slogan “Blud und Boden” a phrase used by Hitler to praise the ethnically pure Germans who had the right to own and work on the land. There have been regular outbreaks of sticker across our region and recently two men were arrested for placing stickers in a park in Sheffield.4 Thank you in advance for continuing to report any stickers appearing in your local area. Further information can be found here. 4 https://www.jusnews.net/who-are-the-hundred-handers/ OFFICIAL 4 The contents of this bulletin should not be disseminated beyond the intended readership. OFFICIAL Spotlight Autism Autism is often seen in referrals to Prevent, in both children and adults, and includes both those diagnosed with Autism, and those whom are undiagnosed, but display some of the characteristics of those with Autism. The characteristics of working alone with a high degree of precision and focus are commonly seen in Self- Initiated terrorists (formerly lone actors) and are some of the characteristics commonly seen in those with Autistic Spectrum disorder (ASD). An increased awareness of specific vulnerability and risk factors for parents, educational staff and care professionals will help to ensure early detection of a person with ASD developing radical ideology and may ensure that exploitation and criminalisation of individuals with ASD is minimised. Increasing our knowledge around Autism is essential to being able to fulfil our safeguarding role. To this end, CTP NE recently hosted a well-attended event entitled ‘Autism & Extremism’ hosted by a subject matter expert whom explored the subject from first principles. During the course of the event the following points were emphasised. Autism is a very complex subject and thus difficult to define, but is perhaps best described as “A lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.”5 The term disability has been used deliberately as it is covered by discrimination law. As a lifelong developmental issue, Autism has different impacts at different life stages. In a recent study Autistic people were asked how they preferred to be referred to, and overwhelmingly they preferred ‘Autistic’, rather than ‘a person who has Autism’.