Bill Rammell - Tackling Violent Extremism in the University Sector

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INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone. And thank you for inviting me today.

You all know that the threat of violent extremism is never far from the minds of all of us in Government, from the Prime Minister down. And that's as it should be, in a world where Al-Qaeda-influenced terrorists who wish this country harm are both at large and in possession of increasingly sophisticated methods.

Any responsible Government's first priority must be to ensure the physical safety of its citizens.

But Governments have other responsibilities, too. Like upholding democracy, free speech and equality before the law.

And they're also something that my colleagues and I take with the utmost seriousness.

So I want to say right at the outset that, while we do undoubtedly face a continuing danger from violent extremists, those who overstate or exaggerate the magnitude of that danger are grossly irresponsible.

The shadow that al-Qaeda and its apologists cast over us should make us cherish all the more the freedoms that are our common heritage and work harder to defend them. There are people who, even for the best of motives, advocate unduly repressive measures - the sort of measures, I can tell you, that this Government will never take - play into extremist hands. They create a climate of fear. They cause individuals and whole communities to feel victimised. And they make vulnerable people doubt the fundamental truth of this whole issue - that those who uphold freedom are right, and that those who preach terror are wrong.

Balance is all. As some one who receives security briefings, I do not recognise the stories that say that every campus is awash with extremist activity. Nor do I recognise stories that say there is no extremist activity at all on campus.

Before going into more detail, I want to set out the Government's thinking in this area, so there's no doubt in your minds where we stand.

Last year, the Prime Minister called upon John Denham and me to lead a debate with the Higher Education Sector on how to maintain academic freedom whilst ensuring that extremist can never stifle debate or impose their views.

And we will ensure that the debate is a real one - free and open - and that views from all quarters are heard. Because free debate is the enemy of violent extremism. Indeed, the two cannot coexist.

I began the debate by giving a lecture on Academic Freedom at the Fabian Society. Since then, the Government has published guidance for both HE and FE institutions on how to promote community cohesion, foster shared values and prevent violent extremism.

And I'd like to mention now some of the areas that I think are central to the discussion we are taking forward.

Shared values

It seems to me that our central challenge is to strengthen the resilience of communities against forces that would divide them.

The key to winning the hearts and minds of our communities - all of our communities - is to develop a common sense of shared values. We need a to find a consensus about what ideals and principles bind us all together as a nation. That is why we are engaging the public in a dialogue aimed at developing a British statement of values.

This will need to involve all parts of the community, because the values we prize in a liberal democracy like Britain are not the possession of any one race, creed or nationality. Rather, they belong to everyone in Britain.

I'm not talking about hoisting the Union Jack from a steamroller and trying to grind everything that makes us different one from the other into some sort of uniformly grey, British dust.

How boring life would be if we all thought the same, believed the same, acted the same!

I'm talking instead about creating a space in which the vast spectrum of shades of thought and belief that make up Britain today can be more freely discussed, more openly argued over, more easily understood - and ultimately more greatly valued by us all.

Universities have long sought to offer that sort of space. And th4ey must continue to do so. They have historically provided an environment of trust and respect in which differences of culture, ideology or faith can be at least comprehended, if not always overcome.

Academic Freedom

That's one of the reasons why I used my lecture to the Fabians Society in November last year to reiterate my strong belief freedom in general, and academic freedom in particular.

Freedom challenges conventional wisdom and moves our society on. This year's anniversaries provide some useful reminders of the benefits that come from challenging convention.

It's only 80 years since women gained equal voting rights with men in Britain.

It's only 100 years since Britain elected it's first female mayor - Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.

And it's only 200 years since the slave trade was outlawed in Great Britain.

Free thought and free speech - the concepts that underpin academic freedom - made those civilising changes possible. And they remain a force for civilisation.

And that's why I continue to maintain that in academic freedom lies one of the most powerful means at our disposal to refute violent extremist views on campus. And further, I believe that unless it is used actively to challenge those views, then academic freedom will find itself undermined by violent extremism.

NATURE AND SCALE OF THE THREAT

It is in this context that we issued guidance to our further and higher education institutions.

I believe that the contents of the guidance is commensurate with the scale of the threat.

In his speech last year, the director general of MI5 said that there is a real and sustained threat to the British people from terrorism and violent extremists. The main national security threat that we face today is from Al Qaida and its associated groups. This threat is international in its scope, involving a variety of individuals, networks and groups who are driven by violent and extremist beliefs. They are indiscriminate - aiming to commit murder and cause mass casualties, regardless of the age, nationality, or religion of their victims; and they are prepared to kill themselves to do so. The overall assessment is that the threat is unlikely to diminish for some years.

Violent Al Qaida influenced extremist activity is justified using an overly-simplified yet distorted interpretation of Islamic texts to justify violence. Individuals involved in this form of extremism can be involved in criminal activity. They can either be directly involved in violence and terrorist acts, or can be involved indirectly through inciting others to become involved in violence or supporting or funding violent activities.

The vast majority of Muslims in the UK and abroad reject both extremism and violence. Violent extremists represent only a tiny minority of individuals. The director-general of MI5 spoke of some 2,000 individuals and 200 groups that we believe pose a direct threat to national security and public safety because of their support for terrorism. Although this is a tiny percentage of the population it nonetheless highlights the seriousness of the issue. There remains a steady flow of new recruits to the extremist cause.

I do not want to overstate the menace we face from violent extremism - to do so would be rash. However, there is a real and serious threat, and we must all take responsibility for protecting ourselves. Those who deny this threat are naïve and are ignoring what happened in London, Glasgow and the many plots that our agencies have managed to prevent from taking place. As a Government it would be irresponsible if we did not act to protect those who elect it. As the Prime Minister reminded us in his speech on Liberty 'Freedom belongs to the people, not the government'. And there is no real freedom at all if people live in fear of disruption and violence in their daily lives.

Violent extremists frequently target their radicalisation efforts at young people in a number of settings within the wider community and in specific institutions such as prisons, youth clubs, schools, universities and further education colleges and we must all, therefore, take responsibility for collectively challenging and isolating violent extremism in whatever setting it arises.

I have said this before many times but I will re-iterate again. Our assessment, based on the evidence is that violent extremist activity on University campuses is not widespread. The situation has moved on from the 1990's when extensive media reporting suggested that extremists were present and operating on a large number of University campuses. However, we must all understand that where this activity does occur it is obviously very serious and we must do everything we can to tackle this threat and prevent people from turning to violence.

WHAT SHOULD UNIVERSITIES BE DOING

Our framework of promoting shared values and upholding academic freedom is more than theory It underpins our practical guidance to help inform the thinking of the sector.

What is government encouraging the sector to do in practice?

The guidance issued earlier this year is to support University staff to work together with students on campus to isolate and challenge the very small minority who promote violent extremism. Our aim is to continue to sensitise all staff and students to the issues as well as encouraging Universities to take responsible preventative action to tackle violent extremism and recruitment to violent extremist groups that may operate on campus. I whole heartedly welcome and am very grateful for all the hard work and effort that staff and students of all faiths and none have already undertaken to help us meet this continuing challenge.

I believe it is crucial that Universities, working with students of all backgrounds, build cohesion and good race relations on campus and prevent the segregation of students. By promoting a culture of free debate, rigorous inquiry and tolerance, institutions play their part in challenging those who advocate extremist ideologies.

The recently issued guidance document sets out how I believe higher education institutions have a clear responsibility to help prevent violent extremism from thriving in their communities and to foster cohesive resilient student and academic communities.

Students and staff of all faiths or none must feel able to play a full part in university life. Governing bodies, staff, student unions, political and faith societies all have a role to play in helping achieve this aim. Institutions should consider how people on campus can engage in debate and how they ensure the views of all students and staff - not just the most vocal or those with the greatest numbers can be encouraged and heard. It is through this engagement and dialogue that we prevent the isolation and segregation that may well leave someone to radicalisation towards violent extremism.

I also believe that Higher Education Institutions have a responsibility and a real opportunity to break down segregation amongst different student communities by supporting inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and understanding.

Universities must ensure equality of opportunity for all. Breaking down segregation is a key part of their role to ensure that all their students get a rich and full university experience. Reasonable steps should be taken to set up opportunities for inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and interaction supporting activities such as volunteering or arts and sports which cross the faith and cultural boundaries. It is also important to recognise the significant social role of faith groups, faith chaplaincies and student societies and the important role these people have to play in helping foster and promote cohesion.

There are also real benefits from increasing links between institutions and their local communities. These include the capacity to promote understanding and shared values; challenge intolerance and discrimination; and the potential for current students to support, mentor and encourage local young people to aspire to higher education thus helping to alleviate one of the grievances that may lead people to the path of violent extremism.

The Government is actively working with Muslim communities to build their capacity to take practical steps to reject violent extremism and feel a welcome part of wider British society. Universities should, I believe, explore opportunities for staff and students to engage in relevant areas including the potential leadership role of young Muslim men and women.

The danger in allowing segregated communities to develop on campus is that in such an environment, attitudes and beliefs can be reinforced so that there is little opportunity for dissent, free-thinking or the dilution of commonly held preconceptions about issues within the segregated community or wider communities. Segregated communities may drift away from each other increasingly regarding the codes of behaviour, loyalty and respect that wider society take for granted as behaviour that no longer applies to them. Division and conflict can follow.

Those who prefer segregation can present attempts at encouraging integration as being designed to destroy close community ties, breaking up groups. This is a particularly difficult and sensitive issue with responsibilities on both sides. I firmly believe that Universities should not feel obliged to meet every demand but should encourage an open and rational debate about what is reasonable. They should communicate clearly what has been decided and why.

HE institutions should work closely with students' unions and student societies to publicise appropriate contacts with whom students with any concerns about violent extremism can consult in confidence. Making links with the local faith leader or Chaplain and other community groups is important, too, as they may have the expertise to play a positive on campus role.

Some institutions may want to look specifically at the provision of Muslim chaplaincy support on campus. The Department for Communities and Local Government is developing a framework of minimum standards for institutions engaging Muslim faith leaders in public service to make them more effective in addressing any issues relating to violent extremism on campus. Government will be working with HE institutions to consider what this means in practice for recruiting Muslim chaplains and training individuals already carrying out this function.

Institutions may also wish to consider how they can become involved in local initiatives to build community resilience to violent extremism. The Department for Communities and Local Government launched a £6m Preventing Violent Extremism fund in 2007/8 for around 70 local authorities. Institutions could consider how they can become involved at an institutional level, as many already are, and how they can work with the local authority to ensure their students have access to appropriate programmes and projects.

HE institutions and student leaders have an important role in educating their students about how violent extremist groups operate and recruit and who they target. They should make clear how the university, student welfare teams and the law enforcement agencies can support anyone who feels targeted or vulnerable, or is the subject of intolerance, discrimination, hate crime or intimidation.

Institutions should establish clear policies on external speakers. An institution must take reasonable steps to ensure that an external speaker is not like to promote or advocate violent extremism and that the university is able to make sure what is said falls within the law. Universities and colleges should consider sharing information with each other on speakers of concern, those who are deemed inappropriate to speak on campus, or those who are involved in any form of extremist activity leading to or promoting violence.

Over the coming months, we will join with the NUS, Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Union to hold a number of debates across the country on issues like these, looking at where the boundaries to academic freedom do and should lie.

Conclusion

Violent extremism threatens us all. And we must all be vigilant against it.

But it should make us appreciate all the more how precious are the things that unite us as a nation, irrespective of race, religion, politics, age or gender.

Surely the love of freedom itself must rank very high among those things.

And surely that's a cause for us all to be proud.