Dubbed ‘Extremist Symbols and Flags', the document was seemingly prepared to support the UK government's controversial anti-radicalization program ‘Prevent'. The strategy has been condemned for ‘marginalizing and demonizing' Britain's Islamic population in some quarters.
Spangled Banners
This document's authors state in its introduction it is not intended to be “an exhaustive list of all extremist symbols that may be seen within the UK.”
Instead, it identifies a select number of flags and iconography of proscribed terrorist groups “known to have some material impact on the UK and its population at this time.” The document was evidently not intended for public consumption — no mainstream media organization has reported on its contents, and it was removed from a number of official hosting sites June 6 — and no date of publication is offered.
However, it describes neo-nazi group Scottish Dawn as being a proscribed organization in the UK, and then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd enacted the ban September 28 2017, clearly indicating it was produced since then.
Terrorist or Not?
The document repeatedly admits the immense difficulties of discerning an extremist group based purely on flags and symbols, even if only indirectly.
For instance, the first section deals with ‘Islamist Terrorism', listing Daesh, al-Qaida and Hezbollah — but notes while Hezbollah's militant wing is banned in the UK, its political wing isn't, and both use the same flag.
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