A primary school in Lancashire, UK will be shown a video that will, supposedly, teach young children, aged 10 and 11 how to spot a terrorist.  They are being urged to report anyone who expresses extreme views to authorities.

A lion explains that terrorists can look like anyone, while a cat tells pupils that [they] should get help if they are being bullied and a toad tells them how to cross the road.

The terrorism message is also illustrated with a re-telling of the story of Guy Fawkes, saying that his strong views began forming when he was at school in York. It has been designed to deliver the message of fighting terrorism in [an] accessible way for children.

Children should never be put in the position of ratting out people for what they say.  They should, instead, be playing tag, football, swinging on swings, or any other manner of fun for a 10 year old.

Guy Fawkes should also be seen as someone who was trying to oppose a tyrannical system.  It is much the same as the founding fathers of the United States.  At the time, they were terrorists, but they, too, were trying to overthrow a government they felt was corrupt and in need of a change.  What the government is doing here is creating a system of spies who will readily report you for anything you say that is contrary to government teachings.  One only need look back a short way in history to the Stasi and the National Socialist Schoolchildren to understand this concept.

As Bruce Schneier has said many times before, “If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn’t be surprised when you get amateur security.”