Anti-terror plan to spy on toddlers 'is heavy-handed’

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**Jihadin**

Nursery school staff and registered childminders must report toddlers at risk of becoming terrorists, under counter-terrorism measures proposed by the Government.

The directive is contained in a 39-page consultation document issued by the Home Office in a bid to bolster its Prevent anti-terrorism plan.

Critics said the idea was “unworkable” and “heavy-handed”, and accused the Government of treating teachers and carers as “spies”.

The document accompanies the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, currently before parliament. It identifies nurseries and early years childcare providers, along with schools and universities, as having a duty “to prevent people being drawn into terrorism”.

The consultation paper adds: “Senior management and governors should make sure that staff have training that gives them the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and challenge extremist ideas which can be used to legitimise terrorism and are shared by terrorist groups.

“They should know where and how to refer children and young people for further help.”

But concern was raised over the practicalities of making it a legal requirement for staff to inform on toddlers.

David Davis, the Conservative MP and former shadow home secretary, said: “It is hard to see how this can be implemented. It is unworkable. I have to say I cannot understand what they [nursery staff] are expected to do.

“Are they supposed to report some toddler who comes in praising a preacher deemed to be extreme? I don’t think so.

“It is heavy-handed.”

Mr Davis also accused the Home Office of pushing the legislation too quickly.

Isabella Sankey, the policy director at human rights body Liberty, said: “Turning our teachers and childminders into an army of involuntary spies will not stop the terrorist threat.

“Far from bringing those at the margins back into mainstream society, it will sow seeds of mistrust, division and alienation from an early age.

“The Government should focus on projects to support vulnerable young people – instead they’re playing straight into terrorists’ hands by rushing through a Bill that undermines our democratic principles and turns us into a nation of suspects.”

Headteachers’ union NAHT, said it was “uneasy” with the new guidance. General secretary Russell Hobby, said: “It’s really important that nurseries are able to establish a strong relationship of trust with families, as they are often the first experience the families will have of the education system.

“Any suspicions that they are evaluating families for ideology could be quite counterproductive.

“Nursery settings should focus on the foundations of literacy and socialising with other children – those are the real 'protections’.”

Schools and nurseries, he said, should not be required to act as a police service.

A Home office spokesman last night said: “We are not expecting teachers and nursery workers to carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life, but we do expect them to take action when they observe behaviour of concern.

He added: “It is important that children are taught fundamental British values in an age-appropriate way. For children in the early years, this will be about learning right from wrong and in practitioners challenging negative attitudes and stereotypes.

“We would expect staff to have the training they need to identify children at risk of radicalisation and know where and how to refer them for further help if necessary.”

It is understood ministers will expect nursery staff to report for example, anti-Semitic comments made in front of them by toddlers.

“We would not expect this behaviour to be ignored,” said a source. Other examples of children at risk of radicalisation include instances where a Muslim child might tell a teacher that he has been taught at a religious school, or madrassah, that all non-Muslims “are wicked”.

Whoa whoa whoa......kids pick things up QUICK on the TV

**Tannhauser42**

Jihadin wrote:

Whoa whoa whoa......kids pick things up QUICK on the TV

I was always suspicious about those Teletubbies and what their real intentions were...

**H.B.M.C.**

This is an Onion article, right?

Right?

**daedalus**

I have this image in my head of toddlers reading subversive literature.

**djones520**

Whenever I fear our government is going to far, I just have to look at Britain's, and all of a sudden, I'm not as worried.

**H.B.M.C.**

daedalus wrote:
I have this image in my head of toddlers reading subversive literature.

Hop on Pop is a metaphor for over throwing the state through the use of legally obtainable weapons!*

Thomas the Tank Engine is secretly indoctrinating our kids into a disturbing sex cult!

And Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Whoa boy... where do I even begin?

*How amazingly awesome would it be if that were true.

**whembly**

djones520 wrote:
Whenever I fear our government is going to far, I just have to look at Britain's, and all of a sudden, I'm not as worried.

Indeed... I'm sure we can get that thread as mucked up as any of our 2nd amendment threads.

**Jihadin**

I can see some kid acting like "Rick Grimes" concerning cannibals

**Dreadclaw69**

Must be those WMDs they have brewing in their nappies (diapers)

**Jihadin**

Dreadclaw69 wrote:
Must be those WMDs they have brewing in their nappies (diapers)

PBR time

That's the speed you need change that WMD diaper

**whembly**

Nah... it just takes you long enough to hold your breath.

**djones520**

Jihadin wrote:
Dreadclaw69 wrote:
Must be those WMDs they have brewing in their nappies (diapers)

PBR time

PBR... A Major I went TDY with once had a saying. PBR will take care of you. After the 5th or 6th one, I found out he was right.

**Peregrine**

I don't see what the controversy is here. It makes a lot of sense to pay attention to those toddlers because they're the perfect suicide bombers. Nobody expects them to be a threat, they just think "oh what a cute baby" and then BOOM, a pile of corpses. It's important to pay attention to which toddlers might be recruited for that kind of attack so that they can be set aside for enhanced interrogation techniques and our freedom can be protected.

**Jihadin**

Its not the kid being they do not have the body mass to handle like ten blocks of explosives strapped to them. Its the empty baby carriage basket and frame tubing that's packed with explosives that get's you

**Jehan-reznor**

daedalus wrote:
I have this image in my head of toddlers reading subversive literature.

Me too!

**Jihadin**

Playboy is considered "Art" people......ART.

**Asherian Command**

I thought of this mostly

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Jihadin wrote:
Playboy is considered "Art" people......ART.

EHhh. They are much of an Art as Xart

**streamdragon**

Jihadin wrote:

It is understood ministers will expect nursery staff to report for example, anti-Semitic comments made in front of them by toddlers.

QuichetheFontaine wrote:
Toddler being dragged off in cuffs

"I just said I didn't like the juice!"

**Asherian Command**

streamdragon wrote:
Jihadin wrote:

It is understood ministers will expect nursery staff to report for example, anti-Semitic comments made in front of them by toddlers.

QuichetheFontaine wrote:
Toddler being dragged off in cuffs

"I just said I didn't like the juice!"

"Honey I blew up the kids!"

Or better yet ninja Babies.

**Torga_DW**

Well now i see why people are so concerned about guns and children - the next civil war might be started by kindergarten students who DO NOT WANT TO TAKE THEIR NAP!

But am i the only one thinking of nazi germany & 1984 as far as using children to spy on their parents goes?

**Orlanth**

Its less kooky than it sounds.

Religious extremists are trying a catch them young strategy, and have infiltrated the education system. This is a counter strategy.

It wont work, and the proposal needs amending but its a hell of a lot better than the head in sand approach of the previous government, that allowed the schools system to be radicalised to begin with.

**Asherian Command**

Torga_DW wrote:
Well now i see why people are so concerned about guns and children - the next civil war might be started by kindergarten students who DO NOT WANT TO TAKE THEIR NAP!

But am i the only one thinking of nazi germany & 1984 as far as using children to spy on their parents goes?

Or spy kids.

That would be kind of funny. Baby overlords.

**Torga_DW**

Orlanth wrote:
Its less kooky than it sounds.

Religious extremists are trying a catch them young strategy, and have infiltrated the education system. This is a counter strategy.

It wont work, and the proposal needs amending but its a hell of a lot better than the head in sand approach of the previous government, that allowed the schools system to be radicalised to begin with.

I get what you're saying, but in fairness everything has infiltrated the education system. They're still trying to keep drugs, guns and pedophiles out of the education system and that doesn't seem to be working. Oh well.

**A Town Called Malus**

Orlanth wrote:
Its less kooky than it sounds.

Religious extremists are trying a catch them young strategy, and have infiltrated the education system. This is a counter strategy.

It wont work, and the proposal needs amending but its a hell of a lot better than the head in sand approach of the previous government, that allowed the schools system to be radicalised to begin with.

Which schools have been radicalised?

**d-usa**

So do we need to find out if that kid that shot his mom was a lone wolf or was he connected to a cell in his daycare?

**Asherian Command**

d-usa wrote:
So do we need to find out if that kid that shot his mom was a lone wolf or was he connected to a cell in his daycare?

Your profile is quite ironic in this thread.

If I do dare say so myself.

**Jihadin**

Actually pre teen suicide bombers were used in Afghanistan which somewhat backfired on the Taliban.

**hotsauceman1**

So when private citizzens spy on kids, it is creepy, but when the government does it, its ok?

**the shrouded lord**

Todlers, terrorists in training.
"from the age they could stand we trained them in the art of self-destruct. we need more recruits bcause our old ones didn't pass training. they exploded.'

**Yodhrin**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
This is an Onion article, right?

Right?

Nope, Telegraph(admittedly only marginally less satirical, albeit unintentionally). Tories gonna Tory.

Between this kind of gak and the increasing speculation that Labour and the Conservatives will form a "National Government"(the SNP are currently looking like becoming the third biggest party at the next elections, and god forbid Westminster should have to suffer a bunch of uppity Scottish social democrats pissing in their neoliberal cereal - for the record the last time there was a "National Government" it was because of the Great Depression and the Nazis, so if it does come about again that tells you something about how batgak insane WM are these days), I think I may well get one of those "don't blame me, I voted Yes" t-shirts after all.

Seriously though we've reached the point that "Kafkaesque" seems like an inadequate word to describe the sinister crap going on, not awesome.