The UK government is considering classifying certain forms of misogyny as a type of extremism under the Home Office, according to reports.
“Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy,” British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated. “Action against extremism has been badly hollowed out in recent years, just when it should have been needed most.”
Cooper revealed that she has ordered a “rapid analytical sprint on extremism” that will “map and monitor extremist trends,” aiming to find ways to divert individuals at risk from extremist views and “identify any gaps in existing policy.”
This broad definition of extremism includes Islamist and far-right extremists, as well as extreme misogyny or “fixation on violence” and the causes of radicalization.
The Home Office, under the previous Conservative government, redefined extremism in March as any ideology that aims to “negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedom of others” or “undermine, overturn or replace the U.K.’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights.”
Including misogyny in this review has raised concerns about potential government efforts to restrict free speech. Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips asserted, “You just use the exact same test you would with far-right extremism and Islamism, wouldn’t you?”
“People can hold views about women all they like, but it’s not OK anymore to ignore the massive growing threat caused by online hatred towards women and for us to ignore it because we’re worried about the line, rather than making sure the line is in the right place as we would do with any other extremist ideology,” Phillips argued.
Peter Lloyd, author of “Stand by Your Manhood,” labeled the policy a “sexist move” and an “Orwellian attack on free speech,” leaving his debate partner Joanna Jarjue stunned. Lloyd insisted that “other issues” like terrorism “are the priority” and “not people like Andrew Tate.”
Jarjue expressed offense at Lloyd’s comments, accusing him of minimizing the issue and citing a figure of two million women victimized by men in the UK each year. She described the issue as an “epidemic” that “snowballs into a bigger position where women are dying and being raped.”
“When you have women being attacked specifically because they’re women, and specifically because there are some men within our society who have an ideology that women are fair game, or they’re entitled to a woman’s body – which is exactly what someone who would go and rape somebody would be thinking… that is very specific to a very specific group and gender,” Jarjue insisted.
The British government has been considering a review of its response to misogyny for several years: The House of Lords held a debate in November 2021 to determine whether they should consider misogyny a hate crime.
The Lords have acknowledged calls for stronger action on misogyny “for years,” including a campaign by Citizens UK in 2015 that advocated for sex and gender to be recognized as a protected characteristic for hate crime.
Nottinghamshire Police became the first constabulary in England and Wales to recognize misogyny as a hate crime, leading other constabularies to follow suit.
The Home Office has modified the title of its junior ministerial role to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime several times since its inception in 2014. However, the role was expanded to specifically include Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls following the Labour Party victory on July 4, with MP Jess Phillips being appointed just days later.
Phillips stated this week that “the last few weeks have been pretty tough on women and girls in our country” following the stabbing of several young girls, resulting in three deaths, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport.
“I want to make sure that people realize that we recognize, here in government, how difficult it is and how much grief is currently being felt in the country, and say that we hear you,” Phillips said.
“And we know that we have to do everything that we can to start preventing rather than just cleaning up the violence committed by men against women and girls in our country,” she added.