Statutory guidance

Glossary of terms

Updated 6 March 2024

This document sets out terms relevant to the Prevent duty guidance 2023.

Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism (ERWT)

Describes those involved in Extreme Right-Wing activity who use violence in furtherance of their ideology. These ideologies can be broadly characterised as Cultural Nationalism, White Nationalism and White Supremacism. Individuals and groups may subscribe to ideological tenets and ideas from more than one category.

Having due regard

In relation to section 26 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, means that specified authorities should place an appropriate amount of weight on the need to prevent people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism when they carry out their usual functions.

Ideology

A terrorist ‘ideology’ is a set of beliefs, principles, and objectives to which an individual or group purports to adhere and attempts to instil in others to radicalise them towards becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. There are several concepts or ‘tools’ that often feature in terrorist and extremist ideologies, including: narrative, propaganda, grievances, and conspiracy theory.

Interventions

These are tailored packages intended to divert people away from extremist activity at the earliest opportunity and support their disengagement with terrorist ideologies where they have been involved in terrorism or terrorist-related activity.

Islamist terrorism

Is the threat or use of violence as a means to establish a strict interpretation of an Islamic society. For some this is a political ideology which envisions, for example, the creation of a global Islamic caliphate based on strict implementation of shari’ah law. Many adherents believe that violence (or jihad as they conceive it) is not only a necessary strategic tool to achieve their aims, but an individual’s religious duty. In the UK the Islamist terrorist threat comes overwhelmingly from those inspired by, but not necessarily affiliated with, Daesh and/or al-Qa’ida, but they operate within a wider landscape of radicalising influences as set out in the government’s response to the Independent Review of Prevent. Islamist should not be interpreted as a reference to individuals who follow the religion of Islam.

Left Wing, Anarchist and Single-Issue Terrorism (LASIT)

Encompasses a wide range of ideologies. It includes those from the extreme political left-wing as well as anarchists who seek to use violence to advance their cause in seeking to overthrow the State in all its forms.

Online radicalisation

Describes situations where the internet is believed to have played a role in a person’s radicalisation pathway. The internet can play two broad roles in radicalisation (offering mechanisms often unavailable to people offline). These are: exposure to extremist and terrorist content and socialisation within ‘likeminded’ networks. Often this is facilitated by highly permissive environments online.

Permissive environment

A ‘permissive environment’ may be characterised as being tolerant of behaviour or practices strongly disapproved of by others, such as an environment where radicalising ideologies are permitted to flourish. Radicalisers create and take advantage of permissive environments to promote or condone violence and to spread harmful ideologies that undermine our values and society. Permissive environments can exist both online and offline. Permissive online environments can contribute to online radicalisation.

Prevention

In the context of this document means reducing or eliminating the risk of people being radicalised or becoming involved in terrorism.

Radicalisation

Is the process of a person legitimising support for, or use of, terrorist violence.

Specified authority

Refers to the people, organisations and institutions listed in Schedule 6 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to whom the Prevent duty at section 26 of the Act applies. It is their responsibility to ensure that the provisions of this guidance are carried out.

Susceptibility

Is complex and unique to a person’s circumstances. Within Prevent, susceptibility refers to the fact that a person may be likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by terrorist and extremist ideologies that support or radicalise people into terrorism. Please see the ‘susceptibility to radicalisation’ section of the Prevent duty guidance 2023. As set out in the Prevent duty guidance, a person’s susceptibility may be linked to their vulnerability (see vulnerability below), but not all people susceptible to radicalisation will be vulnerable. There may be other circumstances, needs or other underlying factors that may make a person susceptible to radicalisation but do not constitute a vulnerability.

Terrorism

The current UK definition is set out in the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT 2000). In summary this defines terrorism as ‘The use or threat of serious violence against a person or serious damage to property where that action is:

• designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public; and
• for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.’

Terrorist-related offences

Are those (such as murder) which are not offences in terrorist legislation (TACT 2000), but which are judged to be committed in relation to terrorism.

Vulnerability

Describes the condition of being in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, risk of abuse or neglect.