AN ONLINE sub-culture of women-hating extremists is “growing” in Britain, an expert has warned after figures show a sharp increase in referrals to Prevent over the ideology. 

In the year up to March 2022, the number referrals of young men suspected of following “incel” ideology to the government’s counter terror scheme jumped to 77 — making up 1 per cent of all referrals during that period, Home Office figures show. 

This compares to just three referrals the previous year, while none were recorded before the year 2020. 

Followers of the incel ideology, short for “involuntarily celibate,” subscribe to a misogynistic worldview in which women are blamed for their lack of sexual activity. 

The ideology, which originated in the US and Canada, has been linked to several incidents of terrorism across the world over the last decade, and violent attacks. 

That includes the fatal shooting of five people in Plymouth in August 2021. The shooter, Jake Davison, had viewed incel websites before carrying out the attack. 

Expert Dr Lewys Brace, a senior lecturer at Exeter University, who specialises in online extremist radicalisation including incel culture, told the Star that the rise in referrals is likely being driven by an increase in public awareness of the ideology following the attack as well as publicity around the misogynist Andrew Tate. 

“I think there are a lot more people who are just aware of what the incel ideology is in the UK, and obviously this filters through to the people who have to make referrals to Prevent,” he said. 

However he added that this factor was likely “working in tandem” with an increase in the number of young men subscribing to the radical misogynist ideology. 

“All the data that’s available has shown that there is a massive increase in anti-female sentiment in the population and particularly amongst young boys,” he explained. “Those attitudes are on the rise.”

Dr Brace also warned that the threat of violence and terrorism linked to incel ideology is likely to increase. 

“I think we’re going to see more of it, not just in terms of terror attacks but in terms of other behaviours as well so… taking the form of increasing violence against women and girls, stalking.

“It’s hard to say but it’s something we’ve got to keep our eyes on going forward.”

Dr Brace added that incel ideology is “particularly insidious” compared to other extremist ideas, as it “prays on the insecurities” of young boys. 

The figures, released on Thursday, show that a third of the 6,500 people referred to Prevent last year were children under the age of 15. 

The majority of all referrals were flagged by schools — which are under a legal obligation to report potential extremism. 

Advocacy group Cage, which has called for Prevent to be abolished, has expressed alarm over the number of referrals made in the education sector. 

“This underlines how the sector has been co-opted to deliver on what are surveillance operations,” Cage head of public advocacy Anas Mustapha said. 

He continued: “Proportionally, Prevent remains discriminatory against minority communities [and] enables a system of surveillance that clamps down on dissent and freedom of religion that can be weaponised against any group.”

A review of Prevent was triggered in 2019 in response to allegations of discrimination against Muslims, but has yet to be published. A leaked draft showed that it has called for a renewed focus on Islamism.

However the latest figures show that referrals over concerns for far-right radicalisation exceeded those for “Islamist extremism” for a second year running.