The UK government plans to categorize extreme misogyny as a form of extremism, according to a recent announcement by the Home Office.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has initiated a review of the country's counter-extremism strategy to address the growing threats posed by harmful ideologies. This review will specifically consider misogyny as one of the ideological trends gaining traction.

Ms. Cooper highlighted the increasing presence of extremism "both online and on our streets," which she warned is "fraying the very fabric of our communities and our democracy."

The review will focus on the rise of Islamist and far-right extremism in the UK, as well as other ideological trends, including extreme misogyny and beliefs associated with violence. It will also examine the causes and methods of radicalizing young people.

Ms. Cooper explained that the strategy aims to "map and monitor extremist trends" to find ways to disrupt and divert people away from them. The review will also seek to "identify any gaps in existing policy that need to be addressed to crack down on those promoting harmful and hateful beliefs and violence." She emphasized that action against extremism has been "badly hollowed out" in recent years.

The findings of the review will contribute to a new counter-extremism strategy, which was promised in Labour's manifesto. The Home Office stated that this strategy will "respond to growing and changing patterns" of extremism across the UK. The timeline for this "rapid review" is not yet clear, but it is one of several policy reviews initiated by Labour since coming to power in July, including the Strategic Defence Review, spending review, and a review of the National Curriculum.

While some critics may argue that these reviews are a substitute for concrete action, Labour has noted that there has been no new Counter Extremism Strategy since 2015, making an assessment of new and emerging threats overdue.

This is not the first time the government has considered misogyny as a form of extremism. Concerns have been raised in recent years about "Incel culture," an online movement of mostly young men who describe themselves as "involuntarily celibate" and blame women and "alpha males" for their problems. In 2021, a mass shooting in Plymouth by 22-year-old Jake Davison, who killed five people before taking his own life, was linked to Incel ideology. Photo by Gucora andu, Wikimedia commons.