Under Prevent rules, college staff have a legal duty to act if they suspect a student has extremist views or could travel to Syria. However, Mr Ferguson claims the policy “effectively criminalises people for being Muslims”.

Not only are they attempting to stop the identification of potential radicalization, but they are also purportedly actively working to incite such behavior.

The emails show he worked with Mend’s chair in Newham, Tahir Talati, to organise an anti-Prevent statement, signed by Mr Hale and local imams. It claimed, falsely, that Prevent attacked “normal Muslim religious practice” with young Muslims targeted “for the views they hold on issues such as government foreign policy”.

The statement also claimed that Prevent was behind moves to “ban Friday prayers” and Islamic dress in two Newham schools. School officials said this was also untrue.

“They are winding up vulnerable young people with lies in an extremely dangerous way,” said one. “It is disgusting.”