"The threat, numbers and indeed the reach of Incels cannot be underestimated"

Their numbers, their unpredictability, their threat and indeed their reach cannot to be underestimated.

I am sad to say that misogynistic crimes have not been high enough on the list of police priorities across the UK over a number of years now. This needs redressing.

Nor should the Incels be lumped within far right categories either in order not to give proper regard to the distinct and separate ideology , intent, threats and behaviours of Incels. Doing so serves not the cause of providing much needed protection to those whom they target and spew forth their perceived grievances and hatred upon- namely women.

The Government response to the recent Incel fuelled serious murders in Plymouth is expected to be similar to how they reacted to Far Right incursions, threats and violence against community people before the very shocking and tragic murder of MP Jo Cox whose life was taken from her in a rabid Far Right informed attack, which made Government sit up once this hatred encroached through their own doors. The Government’s argument for not being as proactive against the far right when they should have been, was an argument premised upon scale. Meaning that more community lives must be lost, more community people discriminated against and harassed and intimidated before certain extremist far right groups could be proscribed as terrorists, here in the UK.

After the wonderful Jo Cox’s shocking death, moves by Government to proscribe certain far right extremist groups was escalated. Government arguments and considerations on scale were put aside.

Ministers and senior civil servants may in these more recent days also seek to claim that by giving attention to the tragic deaths in Plymouth and the causation behind this Incel fuelled tragedy, thus might inflame copy cat actions from other Incels and therefore there is need to play down Incel hatreds and intents and in doing so to avoid proscribing Incels as extremists /Terrorists.

This latter path would mean putting focus upon the terrible Plymouth shootings as being nothing more that just a one-off unforeseen tragedy and in doing so ignoring the wider realities of Incels‘ perpetrating daily actions of extremism and hate through their networks and via individual actions too.

Given that Government remains male dominated, I wonder whether, if it were not females but perhaps males who were being targeted for Incel extreme hate, abuse and harassment, (as females are being targeted and treated) would there be a change of heart? Would Government action ensue to swiftly challenge these abuses and to proscribe such behaviours and their vicious hate fuelled intent and impact as not only unacceptable but extremist and dangerous?

We should not be waiting for others to be discriminated against, maimed, wounded, harassed or murdered to satisfy the Government’s specification on scale. Nor should we be downplaying the realities of this extremist grouping and it’s influence, intent and actions either. I say this taking on board what Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism has said in recent times that: “If we see more of these sorts of attacks, then I have got no doubt that it will be treated more seriously as terrorism”

As someone who has been monitoring over several years this group and other extremist groups including violent extremists, as part of my equality and human rights duties and safeguarding responsibilities and whom too has experienced the brunt of extremist targeting and hate , I can categorically tell Government and have, that Incels and their behaviours sufficiently meet the current description of violence used to advance an ideological cause and as such warrant proscription.

It took the tragic death of Jo Cox MP to get Government to act with determination against some Far Right extremists. Let us hope they properly reflect on this and take the right action accordingly to outlaw Incels and their extremism here in the UK. before more tragedies occur.

One life lost is one life too many.