Prevent now required doctors, teachers, and social workers to be on alert for signs of “extremism.” If a family pulled their teenage daughter out of co-ed swimming classes, teachers were encouraged to consult Prevent guidance. A young Afghan British boy who attended school with a “Free Palestine” badge on his backpack had counterterrorism police show up at his door. “It’s easier to speak to the women than the men,” the Prevent officer concluded in the end. The women just wanted to stop their sons from going off to die, and were more cooperative. They would blame themselves in the end, anyway.
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