'Preventing' the truth about Gaza

The Prevent programme has been condemned by civil liberties groups for unfairly targeting the Muslim community and Scottish campaigners called on their government to end its support for the programme.

One aspect of Prevent is the Research, Information and Communications Unit (Ricu). This body's stated remit is to co-ordinate Prevent-related news and the preparation of communications strategies.

Campaigners argue that, far from combating extremism, the Prevent programme had been tarring whole communities with the same broad brush and was being used to propagandise for the government.

The controversy reignited last week when the most recent report of the Intelligence and Security Committee noted that Ricu had been used to counter condemnation of Britain's response to the 2008/9 Gaza war.

The ISC report states that: "During the Gaza conflict Ricu ensured that the government's position was communicated.

"A major counter-narrative campaign has been initiated ... a network of community organisations established ... local partners in priority areas have been briefed and provided with communications advice ... relationships have been built with key media channels ..."

Although not thought to be as widespread as in England, Ricu operates in Scotland with the support of the devolved government, which has publicly condemned Israeli aggression and the Afghan war.

Scotland Against Criminalising Communities (Sacc) called on the Scottish government to end its involvement, describing Ricu as an attempt to "distort democracy" and "poison public debate by linking opposition to the government's foreign policy to support for 'extremism'."

Sacc secretary Richard Haley told the Star: "The significance of the intervention over Gaza is that this is an instance of an area of foreign policy where there is no clear link to terrorism in the Britain but we have a counter-terrorism operation being used to push the government line.

"Ricu operates in a grey area between the covert and overt."

He said the issue was the fact that Ricu "is creating discussion in a semi-closed arena instead of generating debate across all the communities and sections of society.

"Prevent encourages support for the war in Afghanistan - most Scots want the troops to come home. Ricu acted as an apologist for the UK government when the government failed to take a firm position against Israel's attack on Gaza - leading SNP figures have been outspoken in their criticism of Israeli actions.

"Sacc is calling on the Scottish government to halt its support for the Prevent programme and for initiatives linked to Ricu. Groups and individuals should refuse Prevent funding."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Ricu only communicates in an entirely open and factual manner," doing so "in order to improve the way in which government communicates on counterterrorism" to all sections of the public.

The Star contacted the Scottish Parliament to allow it to respond to the allegations but by time of press it had not done so.