Two years ago, a hugely significant policy adjustment to the government’s Prevent counter terrorism training impacted on the vegan community and on wider public understanding of ethical veganism. Finally, after legal interventions by human rights experts, ethical veganism has been removed from the Prevent course materials. Previously, the course was criticised for identifying ‘risk factors’ such as choosing a meat free diet or showing interest in animal welfare to potential radicalisation.
The Prevent programme, aimed to help identify how individuals become at risk of being radicalised and commit violent acts based on their beliefs. The course identified several forms of extremism such as far-right terrorism while under the same umbrella mainstream ethical veganism was conflated with violent extremism. Consequently, it has been reported that a number of ethical vegans have faced unfair workplace disciplinary actions and investigations for their non-violent beliefs. In response, legal experts have challenged Prevent’s training provider requesting this is removed.
Legal experts from international human rights networks subsequently issued Freedom of Information requests and challenged the NHS training provider, Skills for Health, demanding immediate correction. Ethical veganism is recognised under UK law (specifically the Equality Act 2010) as a protected philosophical belief, par to other large world religions and belief systems. Ethical vegans are therefore safeguarded in public institutions and workplaces from discrimination.
Campaigners argued that it was wrong to misrepresent peaceable animal advocacy and environmental protection as potentially extremist behaviour. The changes made to the training safeguard ethical vegans from being falsely associated with radicalisation, and important change for both the vegan community and wider public perception.