Swanmore College warns parents after pupils caught sharing extremist beheading videos on Discord

Parents at the 1,300-pupil Swanmore College have been told about concerns over the ‘extremist videos’ containing ‘shocking footage of people being beheaded’.

Anti-terror police have previously warned the sharing of extremist killing videos could be a crime under terrorism legislation.

The secondary school’s alert went out earlier today and said ‘some pupils’ were sharing the material on Discord, a chatroom and voice messaging platform.

Addressing parents, an assistant headteacher at the Ofsted good-rated school said: ‘I am writing to alert you to concerns surrounding an online site called Discord which is one of the most popular communication tools for gamers.

‘This site allows you to create or join what are known as servers, where different users can talk in groups via text message or voice call.

‘Swanmore College has been informed that some pupils have been sharing extremist videos, some of which contain shocking footage of people being beheaded.

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‘We all have a responsibility to educate and keep our children safe online.’

The senior teacher urged parents to read information about Discord and how to stay safe online.

She added: ‘Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.’

Both Hampshire police and the school have been contacted by The News.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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