Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD

Koch & other US Libertarian billionaire-funded low-tax deregulatory antidemocratic anti-abortion anti-Net Zero free-market think tanks are driving the Tories' policy agenda & are supported by Truss & the ERG.

These think tanks also influence Britain's extremism policy.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1562410418253041664

In November last year, Priti Patel said it was "an honour" to give a keynote speech on security at the Koch-funded anti-abortion Heritage Foundation think tank HQ in Washington, which rejects the scientific consensus on climate change.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1463206547048349710?s=20&t=KHKgBEScZd1LVxtKQISzEw

Facing accusations of downplaying Islamophobia, & known for his reactionary views, the "temporary" contract for the role of UK head of the 'Commission on Countering Extremism', appointed in March 2021, was extended for the Heritage Foundation's hard-right extremist Robin Simcox.

Ignored by the UK news media, Priti Patel has now made Simcox permanent head of the Commission for Countering Extremism. She appointed him on an "interim" basis as a way to ease him into the job without going through a competitive process or having his CV scrutinised too closely.

Simcox worked at the UK's neo-con Henry Jackson Society before becoming "Margaret Thatcher Fellow" at the Heritage Foundation.

That a borderline far-right anti-Net Zero far-right Koch stooge now heads the UK's Commission on Countering Extremism, has profound implications.

Simcox was a "war on terror" enthusiast who claimed that "rendition, drones, detention without trial" are all “extremely effective" against terrorism - rendition means sending suspects to foreign dictatorships for torture: people who support torture are embedded in the UK Govt.

At the Heritage Foundation, Simcox argued that making "White Supremacy" the subject of a "countering violent extremism policy" was driven by "political correctness" - regardless of the dramatic increase in terrorist acts by white racists in the UK & US.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1407982779191726081?s=20&t=vieXtDWnhRw3791TSU5JGA

In September 2019, Simcox urged new PM Boris Johnson to monitor groups such as @XRebellionUK & Unite Against Fascism @uaf as part of the Govt's "counter-extremism agenda", while also advising him to "push back" against claims of obvious Tory Islamophobia.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Simcox said Javid had “unhelpfully tried to force all his fellow Conservative leadership candidates to commit to undertaking an internal review", & warned of the “political extremism of anarchism, eco-socialism & radical anti-capitalist environmentalism”.

heritage.org/terrorism/comm…

Also, back in January 2021, the Government appointed controversial William Shawcross as Chair of an "independent" review of PREVENT.

The UK Govt excels at appointing extremely partisan allies to oversee so-called "independent" reviews & Commissions.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1534864233866854400?s=20&t=ZeDIyj990oQjbJ8T2A3I2w

At the time, a coalition of 17 leading & respected human rights & community groups said they would boycott the UK government’s review of the anti-radicalisation programme, PREVENT, in protest at the appointment of William Shawcross as its chair.

amnesty.org/en/latest/pres…

As a director of the Henry Jackson Society, Shawcross had expressed patently Islamophobic views, saying:

“Europe & Islam is one of the greatest, most terrifying problems of our future. I think all European countries have vastly, very quickly growing Islamic populations.”

The appointment of Shawcross made clear, beyond any doubt, that the UK government had - & has - no interest in conducting an objective & impartial review of the PREVENT strategy, nor in engaging meaningfully with communities affected by it.

The PREVENT review was designed to whitewash the strategy & give it a clean bill of health, without interrogating its harmful impacts on human rights & basic freedoms.

This is just one example of how the UK Govt is facilitating dangerous Orbanist antidemocratic authoritarianism.

"Anti-woke" far-right rhetoric has consequences.

Days after the #BuffaloMassShooting in May, where a far-right white supremacist shot 11 black & two white victims in what authorities described as a “racially motivated hate crime”, leaks from the PREVENT review started to appear.

Echoing Simcox, the leaked partisan draft extracts from the landmark review of the PREVENT strategy claimed, 'The Government’s counter-terrorism programme has been too focused on right-wing extremism & should now crack down on Islamist extremism'.

theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/m…

The partisan review misleadingly claimed individuals targeted for expressing 'mainstream right-wing views' because the definition of neo-Nazism had 'expanded too widely', while the focus on Islamist extremism has been too narrow.

The UK Govt is normalising far-right rhetoric.

Sir Peter Fahy, ex-Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police & former police PREVENT lead, said the leaks suggested Shawcross’s findings were an unwarranted attempt to “politicise counter-terrorism policing” & it was “quite dangerous to play off one ideology against another”.

In March 2021, Fahy criticised the antidemocratic, authoritarian, anti-British & anti-freedom 'Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill', which he argued was a politically-motivated reaction to #BlackLivesMatter & the @XRebellionUK protests.

theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/m…

By giving Simcox 16 months as acting head of the Extremism Commission, Patel put him at a huge advantage.

Imho, the UK Govt has combined the dangerous #neofascist policies of the US Libertarian Right, with the antidemocratic authoritarianism of Orban.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1563132937490427905?s=20&t=vieXtDWnhRw3791TSU5JGA

British democracy is fragile, & is under attack from its own Govt: the laws, policies, tactics & rhetoric used & introduced by the UK Government are dangerous, divisive, & utterly chilling.

If you're not concerned, you're really not paying attention. 🇬🇧

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1563124484281753601?s=20&t=vieXtDWnhRw3791TSU5JGA

Previously...

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1383204382171348996?s=20&t=Qy0qB0zBz8zKdN4fSCc6Kg