This is how misogyny and the 'manosphere' are breeding extremism, per leaked report
Misogyny, violence against women and the 'manosphere' have been identified as breeding grounds for extremism in the UK, according to a leaked Home Office report commissioned after last year's summer riots.
The report concluded that authorities should look at concerning behaviour as well as ideology and belief when combating extremism. That includes misogyny, violence against women and girls, and having a fixation on gore and violence without adherence to an extremist ideology.
It also included spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, influencing racism and intolerance and involvement in the online subculture 'the manosphere', according to the think tank Policy Exchange which received a copy of the review.
What is the 'manosphere'?
The manosphere was reported to contain 'a significant amount of content directly focused on misogyny, and sometimes absorbs extremist rightwing tropes.
'The "manosphere" encompasses a wide array of communities that include men’s rights activists; pickup artists; men going their own way; and involuntary celibates or "incels".'
There is often an overlap between some manosphere narratives, in particular incel beliefs, and extreme rightwing ideology including racist narratives, the report noted. 'Globalisation and multiculturalism, which are at the centre of many extremist rightwing narratives, are often blamed as factors in incels’ celibacy,' it said.
In the UK, misogyny is not considered a hate crime but some forces can record it as an aggregator.
Recommendations and government reaction
The leaked report recommended the reversal of a cut to police use during 'non-crime hate incidents' while introducing harmful online communications as a new crime. Both of these recommendations have been criticised as a threat to free speech.
It also says that right-wing extremist ideologies and beliefs are entering the mainstream. 'Rightwing extremist narratives (particularly around immigration and policing) are in some cases ‘leaking’ into mainstream debates. Claims of "two-tier" policing – where two groups are allegedly treated differently after similar behaviour – is a recent example,' it reads.
The leak comes after Prime Minister Kier Starmer equated extreme violence with extremism in the wake of the Southport killings. He said the teenage killer of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class represented a new kind of threat, saying 'terrorism has changed.
'In the past, the predominant threat was highly organised groups with clear political intent. Groups like Al-Qaeda. That threat of course remains. But now, alongside that, acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom, accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety.'
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