Misogyny to be treated as ‘any other extremist ideology’, says Jess Phillips

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Home Office minister Jess Phillips has said misogyny will be treated as “any other extremist ideology”, as the Government pledges to fill in “gaps” in countering radicalisation. “People can hold views about women all they like, but it’s not OK any more to ignore the massive growing threat caused by online hatred towards women and for us to ignore it because we’re worried about the line, rather than making sure the line is in the right place as we would do with any other extremist ideology.” On Saturday, the Home Office announced a crackdown on people “pushing harmful and hateful beliefs” to “kick-start” a new approach to fighting extremism. Labour Party spokesperson “This is about having the tools as a Government, across government departments, whether that’s what we do with tech companies, how we advise and guide teachers in what to do, about this growing trend of not just misogyny but Islamism and far-right ideologies.” In the wake of the violent disorder seen in recent weeks, there have been calls on the Government to toughen the Online Safety Bill which is due to come into force later this year, to crack down on incitement on social media. She said: “With the previous government’s Online Safety Bill, that still hasn’t come into fruition yet but we’re going to have to make sure that is as robust as possible because if my teenage sons watch something on the television, there is a far, far greater place for me to have that regulated and to know that can be trusted than when they’re in their bedrooms and I have no idea what they’re looking at and the level of regulation is considerably lower at the moment.” The new Government’s approach would require police forces to use data and intelligence on named suspects of rape, stalking and domestic abuse to devise a matrix of people who posed the most threat in their area – identifying, monitoring and targeting the most prolific perpetrators of violence against women and girls to prevent reoffending.