Richard McNeil-Willson
@mcneilwillson
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Research Fellow, global Muslim studies & critical extremism @EdinburghUni | formerly @UniLeiden @Cambridge_Uni @eui_eu | @scottishgreens member
Joined April 2014
Even as a politics lecturer in a Middle East department, I am lost. Israel has a right to self defence, but Lebanon does not?. Israelis have the right to be safe, but Palestinians do not?. Iran can’t launch missiles into civilian areas, but Israel can?. None of this is coherent.
"We stand with Israel, and recognise her right to self defence in the face of this aggression.". UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is addressing the British public after Iran launched missiles towards Israel. 📺 Sky 501
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Carpet-bombing two million Palestinians in the dark. This is "counterterrorism". This is "self-defence". This is "democracy". This is "civilisation". This is what Western powers have shown unconditional support for.
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This is Beirut now. Just like the West Bank a few hours ago. Just like Gaza every night. This is not “counterterrorism”. This is not “self defence”. This is colonial violence, done across the Middle East with the support of western governments, and should be called out as such.
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I've spoken to Muslim students forced to pray in corridors, in cupboards, on school fields in the rain. I've spoken to Muslims forced to leave their jobs because they weren't allowed to pray. The Michaela School incident is just one tiny glimpse of societal-wide Islamophobia.
A Muslim student at the Michaela School has lost a High Court challenge against its ban on prayer rituals.
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It is frighteningly clear - today and everyday for the last year - that so-called international order, rules and norms are designed solely to protect white western lives and power, at the expense of everyone else.
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British jets protecting Israeli airspace. British weapons killing Palestinian civilians. British politicians falling over themselves to support Israel. The entire apparatus of the British state is fully behind insecurity in the Middle East, at the expense of millions of lives.
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Starmer is incoherent in his total hypocrisy. But his distain for Muslim and non-Western lives and security is, of course, central to British policy since before the start of the long War on Terror. The West continues to perpetuate colonial violence against the world.
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Keir Starmer and David Lammy are engaging in genocide denialism by refusing to recognise the genocide in Gaza, and genocide revisionism by undermining its legal definition. Great to talk with @BrawnJourno and be featured on the front page of @ScotNational to discuss this.
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Today, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that all citizens of Gaza are responsible for Hamas and there are no innocent citizens in Gaza. Also today:.
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Hyde Park is a sea of red, green, black and white. Absolutely incredible numbers and noise, and a wonderful atmosphere of hope and unity. London demands #CeasefireNOW
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Asking Muslims or Palestinians to condemn Hamas before they speak is patently Islamophobic and racist - just as it has been to ask Muslims to condemn terrorism at any point since 2001. It's been done to intimidate, invalidate and shut down brown and minority voices in the west.
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Awful lot of Europeans of all countries patting themselves on the back for supporting refugeed Syrians. Not a lot of recognition that Europe's response was overwhelmingly carceral, keeping 10,000s in camps, drowning 1,000s in the sea, and electing anti-migrant politicians.
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This is what 20 years of the War on Terror has led towards. That an entire people can be labelled "terrorist" by the Israeli Government and then annihilated, while the US and Europe cheer them on.
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If only the BBC could somehow foresee that a journalist cited several times by Europe's most deadly far-right terrorist in his killers manifesto would go on TV and spout far-right Islamophobia.
A deranged rant from proud Islamophobe Melanie Phillips in which she claims Gazans aren't being starved because she's seen videos of stocked shelves on YouTube
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The impact of such strategies that deliberately prevent Muslims from practicing basic tenets of their religion is huge. It leaves young Muslims facing disadvantage and isolation at schools and colleges. It places barriers to Muslims accessing employment and closes off sectors.
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It places Muslims as second-class citizens in their own countries. And it fuels anti-Muslim discourses in media and politics that frame Islam as something dangerous, foreign, anti-British; ultimately, poisoning the whole of society.
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Education has become another front in the Tory-led culture wars - and the victims are Muslim youth. They experience securitisation under Prevent, racism in the media, and discrimination in education and the workplace. This has been shown to take a huge toll on mental health.
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Political scientists trying to interpret settler colonialism:.
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And for what? . All so a 'free school' (another Tory attack on equality by Michael Gove) can restrict fundamental freedoms of religion when it comes to Islam. As the pupil says - this has "fundamentally changed" how she feels "about being a Muslim in this country" for the worse.
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This is such a great point!. As an addendum, many said how places of work are increasingly providing prayer spaces/provisions for all communities. Despite the culture wars of the media, there's optimism that UK places of work are becoming more welcoming.
When I was at PlayStation, I asked if I could use a spare meeting room for prayer. Want to know what the response was?. “Of course. We’ll put up a sign on there too. Would you mind if it was used as a meeting room when you’re not praying?”. Then loads of Muslims in the company.
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International #FreePalestine demonstrations and protests taking place today, 28th October 2023. 🧵 with meeting place and time
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I've been interviewing young British Muslims and one constant theme is their fear and anger felt towards UK media. Jake Wallis Simons days ago said that "Muslim culture is in the grip of a death cult that sacralises bloodshed". In response, he is invited on @bbcquestiontime.
On Question Time tomorrow, Fiona will be joined by Victoria Atkins, Yvette Cooper, Piers Morgan, Sonia Sodha and Jake Wallis Simons . Join us and an audience from London on @BBCiPlayer from 8pm or on @BBCOne after the 10 o'clock news
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I've just seen the head of one of my former academic departments retweet an openly far-right, rabidly Islamophobic organisation that blacklists Muslim and minority academics. No wonder European academia feels unsafe for minorities when their venerated members amplify xenophobia.
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Calling for peace but being anti-ceasefire is some deranged mental gymanistics.
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2001: George Bush declares, 'either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists'. 2023, Israel states, 'you either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism'. The label 'terrorism' is still just as much about Western supremacy, racism and state violence as it ever was.
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The 'terrorism' lens as applied to #Gaza #Palestine is doing exactly what it always does - deliberately decontextualising events to promote a violent militarised status quo, prioritising Western lives over non-Western, and absolutely enabling State destruction and repression.
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I do not believe that PREVENT is effective or proportionate. It is appalling that I or anyone who raises questions about PREVENT be labelled 'Islamist' or an enabler of terrorism. Yet this is the language from politicians and PREVENT practitioners.
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So many European liberal academics were cheering on Israeli bombs and condemning Palestinian activism just a few months ago. As the bodies pile up, they've suddenly gone very feckin quiet about Palestine.
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University of Leiden have joined the university protests 🍉. Free Palestine protesters have occupied the @UniLeiden campus in The Hague, Netherlands this afternoon. They join the growing student occupation movement against the on-going genocide in Gaza.
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Britain just stopped the processing of asylum seeker claims from Syria. 21 hours after Starmer congratulated the Syrian people on the fall of Assad, he orders the UK Govt to prevent asylum. Like Austria and Germany, the UK is using this as an excuse to target Syrian migrants.
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As someone who did their PhD on, and hanging out with, Hizb ut Tahrir, i can give you a hundred reasons why this is a stupid idea. It's already been tried twice, and twice it's been ruled a threat to free speech, pointless and counterproductive.
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A lot of "terrorism experts" painting critical scholars as cheerleading the killing of civilians. No-one supports killing and it's ghoulish to play the 'terrorist sympathiser' card. Such accusations show how mired the field is in racism and how little has changed in 20 years.
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Just in case anyone isn't sure where the EU stands on collective punishment, human rights violations and massive-scale war crimes.
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Individuals who post, like or comment ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ on social media will be denied German citizenship, according to stipulations in the new citizenship law. Participation in an actual genocide is, of course, still acceptable.
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The HJS - part witchfinder general, part Spanish Inquisition - having spent the last few days shouting "Islamism", now declare the Liverpool bomber as not *really* Christian because his church attendance wasn't up to scratch.
Was this an act of Radical Christian Terrorism?. The @HJS_Org's @samwarmstrong has his doubts:. Liverpool bomber Emad al-Swealmeen "hadn't been seen in a church since Christmas Day 2017". "Some asylum seekers do feign faith in order to seek a bonus in their asylum processes."
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Congrats to Robin Simcox on being appointed Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism. I'm sure his experience speaking at a White Nationalist hate group will help him fit in well with the UK Govt's counter-extremism strategy.
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We see the same language today as 20 years ago, at the start of the War on Terror. Muslims are asked to condemn before they can speak, brown lives are devalued, massive state violence is exacted by the West. The long War on Terror has not ended, nor perhaps has it much changed.
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Thrilled to announce my move to @EdinburghUni. From now on, I'll be researching and lecturing on Global Muslim Studies at @alwaleed_centre, Islamic and Middle East Studies. So cool to be back at my alma mater, where I did my undergrad, and in a beautiful city I call home.
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Who could have foreseen that politicians blaming Muslims and migrants for everything would lead to anti-Muslim and anti-migrant violence?.
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Shocking at how quickly the European Union's response to violence on all sides is to withdraw financial support from occupied Palestinians. This is open support from the European Union for the collective punishment of Palestinians - a crime under international law.
The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point. There can be no business as usual. As the biggest donor of the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, worth a total of EUR 691m.⤵️.
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The only violence and disorder today has come from counter-protesters at the cenotaph - inspired by Suella Braverman. This is a hate march. And this violence is solely thanks to the Home Secretary.
Police struggling to hold back the counter demo from cenotaph about 15 mins ago, abuse at passers by
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Today I saw a “global expert in counterterrorism” say the words:. “Depicting Israel in a negative light is Antisemitic” . And I feel like I might be losing touch with reality.
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Starmer’s position on Gaza is becoming politically untenable with a UN report detailing practices by Israel consistent with genocide. Labour are engaging in an incredibly dangerous approach in not only denying genocide but attempting to “redefine the nature of what genocide is”.
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Hugely concerning revelations here on UK Govt's plan to brand anyone 'undermining' UK as 'extremist'. It comes at a time of right-wing anger over ceasefire protests and specifically targets Muslim groups, inc. @MuslimCouncil @mendcommunity & @Pal_action.
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This represents the culmination of years of securitisation of Muslims under Prevent, attacks on migration by successive Tory Governments, and the chilling of democratic rights under counterterror laws.
Foreign students, academics and workers who commit anti-Semitic acts or praise Hamas face being expelled from Britain under plans being drawn up by the Home Office
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You can’t understand the War on Terror without understanding the subjugation of Palestinians by Israel. It has always been at the heart of the long War on Terror - reflecting and shaping the developments of global ‘counter-terror’ architecture.
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The Shamima Begum ruling proves there’s not one human right the UK won’t trample on in order to make a political point against a Muslim woman who committed a crime she’s never been prosecuted for as a child.
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📢 In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians. Protesters in every direction, as far as the eye can see, from Hyde Park to Central London. #CeasefireInGazaNOW
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"I discovered, three days in, still no phone call, that she was held under the Terrorist Act. And that meant seven days in solitary, and no right to a phone call.". UK terrorism legislation is increasingly designed to clamp down on activism and protest.
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“Under their definition, which focuses on numbers, it also means that Srebrenica cannot be seen as a genocide. It means there’s a denial of historical genocides, such as those that occurred in Australia, Canada, the US, and genocides as a result of British colonialism.”.
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The move to proscribe Hizb ut-Tahrir is discriminatory, dangerous and dumb. There has been attempts by UK govts to ban in 2005 and 2010/11, and both failed because HT was recognised as a non-violent activist group. Banning the group simply clamps down on activism by Muslims.
Today, we took action to proscribe Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation. The encouragement and promotion of Hamas’ unlawful attacks, and the group’s antisemitic ideology, are appalling. Being a member and inviting support for the group will be a criminal offence.
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Every step by Israel since 7th October 2023 has been escalating toward an all out regional war. Each of these steps has been supported unconditionally by the US and European governments. This war and its deaths are because of Western weapons and Western statecraft.
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“It’s done as a political calculation from the Labour Government…. “What is of course part of the political calculation is that genocide denialism is seen by the Government is seen as better than having to deal with the implications of accepting the term genocide.”.
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Europe implemented whole security regimes to stop Syrians crossing their borders. A decade of politicians and media calling Syrians terrorists, sexual aggressors, illegal immigrants, invaders, swarms. The political winds shift and now Europe remembers Syrians deserve rights.
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Wild to hear UK Govt and media saying Commonwealth leaders are "defying" the UK on slavery reparations. It's not 1916 lads, you can't send in the gunboats. The UK owes £18tr for an act that destroyed between 15m and 60m+ lives. It's high time Britain reckoned with that fact.
Commonwealth leaders to defy UK on reparatory justice
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“It is becoming increasingly clear that not only is this genocide denial, which is itself incredibly serious, this is genocide revisionism. “This is more serious than even genocide denial because what they [the Labour Government] are attempting to redefine what genocide is.”.
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Really great statement on how the label 'terrorism' is being used to enable war crimes by Israel against Palestinians - including collective punishment and ethnic cleansing - and repress democratic activism in the UK. Important reading by leading scholars at @CST_WG @MYBISA.
As critical scholars of terrorism, we are deeply concerned about the broad use of "terrorism" as a label to justify collective punishment in #Gaza and #Palestine. Our thoughts are with those affected and mourning at this time.
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This concept of "civilised violence" runs Western discourse, from early colonialism to the War on Terror. The lie that Western violence is good, is necessary, is surgical, is logical, and brings democracy and order to an unruly East. It is a lie to excuse the most extreme acts.
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📢 Are you researching radicalism or violence?. Do you want to go to Reykjavík 🇮🇸 (!) next summer?. MESSAGE ME!! I'm putting together @CES_Europe panels for the @randvnetwork on radicalism, violence, counterterrorism, CVE & social movements.
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The Epistemicide of the Palestinians: Israel Destroys Pillars of Knowledge. 'Attacks that obliterate universities, museums and archives are erasure of the accomplishments of Palestinian knowledge producers and contribute to Israel's ongoing epistemicide'.
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A report by Policy Exchange - ranked by Transparify as one of the least transparent think-tanks in the UK re funding, 'highly opaque' & one of 'a handful of think tanks that refuse to reveal even the identities of their donors' - calls for funding to be cut to critics of PREVENT.
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@ReemMuhammad77 It's a 'free school', which means it's not a 'private' school school but also free from some of the curricular requirements of a regular state school. I think ultimately the ruling does hinge in part on this.
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PREVENT referrals don't tell you about terrorism. PREVENT referrals tell you about PREVENT. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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If you're an international sports person in match, you can stop and pray. But school lunch breaks are apparently too important to allow a pupil to pray for a few minutes.
@luxswiftie @mcneilwillson You can pray any time. It doesn’t have to be set times. I haven’t seen Muslim sports people stopping playing to pray. What about the Pakistan cricket team when they are in the field all day? I don’t see any getting a prayer mat out on the pitch.
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Today, I start a new position as @EUI_MWProgramme Research Fellow, with @EUI_Schuman 🥲. Thrilled to start the programme, to work with Prof Olivier Roy - and to have more excuses to see this wonderful view. Thanks go particularly to Prof @triandafyllidou, for their kind support.
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"I can't imagine the whole agenda of social justice in the world not including Palestine. "Palestine is a moral litmus test for the world. Nelson Mandela said 'South Africa will not be free until Palestine is free'.". Brilliant interview with Angela Davis.
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I have an article out with @JournalCES 😊. 'Counter-terrorism and the repression of Islamic activism: Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain and Denmark'. The paper examines how counter-terrorism (CT) is perceived by legally-operating groups labelled as ‘extremist’.
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The UK and US are engaging in a war on behalf of a pariah state currently in The Hague on a charge of genocide. What a rules-based order.
BREAKING: US and UK fighter jets are now intercepting Iranian drones over Syria and Jordan.
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By invoking 'terrorism', not only are Palestinians' humanity erased, so too is the agency of Israel as a military power. Gaza is an "awful situation", a "humanitarian disaster", "pauses & corridors" are needed for "aid". No mention of a State military actively bombarding Gaza.
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Me reading the new UK definition of 'extremism' and about the Counter-Extremism Centre of Excellence.
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Solidarity with @GretaJasser, @antoniacvaughan, @Augusta_Caesar, @crrebin, @simonp_92 and all young scholars resigning from CARR. I believe CARR's actions in the article and response, pose a danger to antifascist scholars - evidenced in the attacks some are now dealing with.
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This is the UK Government Minister that previously advocated for Holocaust deniers to be allowed to speak at universities.
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Ah, the obvious next step of "British Values" counter-extremism:. People who vilify Britain will be treated as extremists and referred to the Government’s deradicalisation Prevent programme under plans to widen the definition of extremism by Rishi Sunak.
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The UK did a whole Brexit based on fear-mongering around the scary Syrians. Current parties have centred "small boat crossings" as an existential threat to Britain. UK Government and media support for the Syrian people can get the fuck out.
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In Critical Terrorism Studies, this is called impact.
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I was listening to Gilles Kepel yesterday at some Policy Exchange event (lol) and he was talking about the forced closing of anti-Islamophobia organisations in France. In his own words: "sometimes, repression works". And it was almost surprising to hear the quiet part out loud.
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Boy, 11, referred to Prevent for wanting to 'give alms to the poor'. "safeguarding policies have always existed to protect vulnerable members of our society. There is no need for [Prevent], the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”.
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Pretty sure the whole field of terrorism studies is one big elaborate joke.
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My first political event was the 2003 protests against the invasion of Iraq. It led me to a career focussed on the terrible impacts of the War on Terror. This time feels similar. A great amount of fear for what's happening and what's ahead, some hope in so many brave voices too.
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Introducing this short report by @RobFaureWalker, @IzyBeatrice and I, reflecting collective concerns over the role of security thinktanks in shaping policy and PREVENT:. 'The threat to British Democracy caused by Security Think Tanks' - in @SOASICOP.
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🚨 professional news klaxon 🚨. Thrilled to announce that Drs @Caitlin_Procter, @jeromedrev and myself have been awarded funding for a new short project by @IHEID and @EUI_EU:. «Counterterrorism And Safeguarding in response to Islamic State (CASIS)»
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The German state stormed a conference held by the European-wide Democracy in Europe Movement, because it focused on Palestine. This is a terrifying indicator of the widespread suppression of civil rights in Germany and much of Europe, with regards to Palestine and Palestinians.
BREAKING: German police stormed the building and are demanding we stop the livestream of the Palestine Conference. This is what democracy in Europe right now really looks like!. #PalaestinaKongress #WeAccuseGermany.
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Anger over referral of vulnerable boy, 11, to counter-radicalisation scheme. Boy, who was struggling with homework, referred to Prevent after he was accused of saying he wished school would burn down.
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A lot of the analysis of the riots in Southport, Sunderland, Belfast, Hull, Liverpool are based on framing this as the result of misinformation. But violence can only happen when that misinformation can be accepted because of priming by mainstream politics, media and government.
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Douglas Murray, editor of Spectator, who said that “conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board” and called for the banning of “all immigration into Europe from Muslim countries”. Here, delighting in genocidal destruction of Gaza.
The fact that people like this continue to get work and be seen as respectable instead of the extremist bloodthirsty maniacs they are, really tells you a lot about "civilized Western society".
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The number of people under surveillance by the UK state is *not* the same as what is "the biggest threat to this country". This is just as much proof that counterterrorism surveillance is Islamophobic.
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This very cool, newly published book just appeared at my desk. 📖 edited by @ferithafez & Naved Bakali, with chapters from @toddhgreen, @frburgat and @ISGA_Hague's own @TahirAbbas_ amongst others - published by @ManchesterUP.
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📢 Check out our interactive dataset on banned Far Right groups in Europe. Developed as part of a project led by @michaelczeller, @mikekvaughan and myself - and made possible by contributions from so many brilliant international scholars!.
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The Problem Isn’t 'Polarisation' - It’s Right-Wing Radicalisation. Get article by @aurelmondon & @evansmithhist in @jacobin on how emphasis on 'polarisation' draws false equivalence between the far right and those who seek to counter them.
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Yeah, fascists never get voted in. Yeah, Fratelli d’Italia has no link to fascism and doesn’t use a fascist symbol as its logo. Yeah, the British royal family would never support fascists. Lmao.
'Diane Abbott believes that Giorgia Meloni is a ‘literal fascist’. That must come as a surprise to the 12.3 million voters who elected her prime minister of Italy two years ago. Not to mention King Charles, who hosted Meloni at Blenheim Palace in July.' . ✍️ Gavin Mortimer.
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Someone just sent me this and it's also fantastic. Good to see the new definition of extremism is good for memes, if nothing else.
Me reading the new UK definition of 'extremism' and about the Counter-Extremism Centre of Excellence.
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Worrying to see the professionalism of academics such as Dr Chris Allen being attacked - of course, by someone from the Telegraph and Policy Exchange!. This looks like nothing less than an attempt to undermine those highlighting Islamophobia and to excuse far-right nationalism.
It's a grave error to appoint Dr Chris Allen to review communal violence in Leicester. He writing shows his conclusions are already pre-judged. In short he blames British Hindus and suggests reports of Muslim involvement are "Islamophobic".
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Genocide is not just about destruction in the present but the obliteration of the future.
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This article is so bad it's art. The author declares those resisting fascism are equivalent to fascists, cos they don't want to 'bridge the divide' with violent supremacists. As is noted in replies, the article has been supportively shared by radical Right actors. Spectacular.
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The full article examining the dangerous implications of Starmer's refusal to recognise the genocide, is available on the @ScotNational website:
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Shameful, stupid tactics by @UniofOxford and VC Irene Tracey, who have turned their own students over for arrest and assault. The violent smashing of a peaceful democratic protest conducted by students under the care of their own institution, should shame all UK universities.
Oxford police are continuing their violent assaults and arrests of peaceful protesters, here seen taking away a student on a stretcher.
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If you think academia is harsh and the Dutch brutally honest, try getting an academic rejection from a Dutch funder. "The candidate seems good but not exceptional compared to the peer group". Excuse me while I try to recover from 3rd-degree burns delivered in bulletpoint format.
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It took Austria and Germany all of a day to go from congratulating the Syrian people to telling them to get out of Europe.
Germany's asylum office has temporarily paused all asylum requests from Syrians. Nearly 100K Syrians applied for asylum in Germany last year.
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So pleased to have written a chapter in this ace @ManchesterUP book - out now!. Michael Vaughan, @michaelczeller and I explore the dangers for far-right scholars in engaging with counterterror policymakers. Thanks to @antoniacvaughan @JoanBraune.@meghanetinsley & @aurelmondon.
It's out! 🔥🔥🔥. Really pleased to have been able to wokr on the project and see how it's turned out!. If you haven't yet, please ask your library to order a copy. A paperback will be out next year hopefully and far more affordable.
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