Prevent duty ‘discourages free speech’ in universities

Staff and students report fear and self-censorship under counterterrorism programme

A “culture of mutual suspicion and surveillance” has been fostered on university campuses by the government’s Prevent counterterrorism programme, academics have said.

Researchers at SOAS, University of London, revealed that students who supported the government’s anti-extremism Prevent strategy were significantly more likely to view Muslims and Islam negatively, and that Muslim staff and students used self-censorship “to avoid becoming the object of suspicion”. Muslim students make up around 9 per cent of the UK’s student population.