The UK is considering a new definition of “extremism” that includes anyone who “undermines” British institutions or values, according to internal government documents obtained by The Guardian on Saturday.
“Extremism is the promotion or advancement of any ideology that aims to overturn or undermine the UK’s system of parliamentary democracy, its institutions, and values,” according to the new definition, which was reportedly drafted as part of a national counterextremism plan announced earlier this year by cabinet minister Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities.
According to the source documents, which are labelled “official – sensitive,” it has the potential to “frame a new, unified response to extremism.” Activists have expressed concern about the new definition’s lack of public debate or consultation.
Index on Censorship editor Martin Bright called the move “an unwarranted attack on freedom of expression [that] would potentially criminalize every student radical and revolutionary dissident.”
Even government officials are reportedly concerned that the new definition will result in a “crackdown on free speech.” According to an unnamed Whitehall official, “the definition is too broad and will capture legitimate organisations and individuals.”
Ilyas Nagdee, racial justice director at Amnesty International UK, noted that a similar definition was already in use under the government’s counterterrorism project Prevent, where it was already impeding attempts to organise.
Prevent, which defines extremism as “active opposition to fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs,” has been chastised for being Islamophobic as well as soft on Islamic extremism.
A 2016 government proposal to broaden the definition of “extremism” was scrapped as unconstitutional, with experts pointing to the many different definitions held by various agencies – a problem that Gove’s sweeping new scheme appears to address.
According to The Guardian, organisations that would be “captured” under the new definition include the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Palestine Action, and Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development).
Palestine Action slammed the proposal as “an attempt to undermine and intimidate our movement,” telling the outlet, “We refuse to be deterred.” The MCB called on the government to “challenge its own extremists who are intent on dividing our communities.”
As thousands of Britons took to the streets last month to demand Israel halt its bombardment of Gaza, Home Secretary Suella Braverman denounced the pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches,” demanding police officers re-examine whether waving Palestinian flags or chanting slogans could constitute hate crimes. On Friday, two women were charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 for carrying signs depicting paragliders like those used by Hamas to enter Israel.
