London:

Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday to counter a surge in hate crimes, raising some concerns it would inhibit free speech and unfairly target Muslim groups.

Why is the government doing this?

The previous definition was in a 2011 counter-terrorism strategy programme known as Prevent. The government said this needed to be updated after a surge in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Islamist and far-right extremists were seeking to undermine Britain’s democracy.

Communities minister Michael Gove, whose department has produced the new definition, said a more precise version was needed to address the threat.

Currently, no groups have been defined as extremists.

What is the new definition?

The update defines extremism as: “the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to: negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others;  

Or undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights;

Or intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).”

What does being labelled extremist mean?

The government says a team of impartial officials will carry out a “rigorous” assessment in the next few weeks before announcing which groups will be labelled extremist.

Any group categorised as such will be banned from receiving government funding or any other government support. Groups can seek a judicial review in the courts.

The government hopes that labelling a group extremist will make the public and other bodies shun them. Gove said it was not about banning groups but making clear who the government should not engage with.

However, Thursday’s change creates no new powers and has no criminal impact. The groups would still, for example, be able to meet and hold demonstrations.

That is different to those which are specifically banned under terrorism laws, where being a member of a proscribed group or encouraging support for it is a criminal offence. Some 80 international groups are banned by Britain as terrorist organisations including Hamas.

What do critics say?

Some critics say the policy is an assault on free speech and could come to include those who hold gender-critical views or those who oppose abortion.

Others say it will be counter-productive, targeting those who simply express strongly held opinions, particularly Muslims, or will be used to silence those with whom the government disagrees.

Those who have voiced concern range from the Archbishop of Canterbury, former government advisers and relatives and victims of militant attacks in Britain, to those within Sunak’s Conservative party.

However, the government says there will be a high bar for defining a group as extremist, targeting those neo-Nazi or radical Islamist groups which promote an ideology based on hatred or violence but fall short of committing criminal offences.

Gove has said the change would not silence those with peaceful views or affect free speech.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

 Communities Secretary Michael Gove. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The British government published an official definition of “extremism” on March 14, and said groups that get the label will be barred from receiving government funding.

It’s unclear who will be on the list, and critics say branding non-violent groups as extremist could undermine freedom of speech and worship, or risk unfairly targeting some people, such as Muslims, and create more division.

The government defined extremism as “the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance” that aims to destroy others’ rights and freedoms or “undermine, overturn or replace the U.K.’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights.”

The government did not provide examples of extremist groups, and is not expected to publish a list of such organizations for some weeks. But Communities Secretary Michael Gove pointed to the threat from the extreme right and Islamic “extremists who are seeking to separate Muslims from the rest of society and create division within Muslim communities.”

“This is not about banning organizations,” Mr. Gove told the BBC on Thursday. “This is simply saying, ‘this is an organization that we in government think it would be inappropriate to fund or engage with.’”

Islamic and civil liberties groups said they worried the definition would be used disproportionately on Muslims.

Qari Asim, chairman of the Mosques and Imams Advisory Board, said the proposed definition may not be applied consistently.

“If it’s left to people to apply any definition of extremism and call anyone extremist at their whim, then that is going to create huge division in our society,” he told the BBC.

The Muslim Council of Britain warned that the proposals were “undemocratic, divisive, and potentially illegal” and “may involve defining established Muslim organizations as extremist.”

“With elections looming, it’s unsurprising that the government is resorting to this desperate tactic in the culture war,” said Zara Mohammed, the group’s secretary general.

The Church of England’s most senior clerics also criticized the government’s plans, warning that the new definition of extremism threatens the right to worship and peaceful protest.

The announcement comes two weeks after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a rare televised speech outside 10 Downing Street to denounce “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality,” which he linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

Reports of both antisemitic and anti-Muslim abuse in Britain have surged since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war and Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Mass pro-Palestinian protests have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to central London to call for a cease-fire. The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, though there have been dozens of arrests over signs and chants that police say showed support for the militant Hamas group, a banned organization in Britain. Police also arrested some right-wing counter-protesters and charged them with inciting racial hatred.

Jewish organizations and many lawmakers say the mass marches have created an intimidating atmosphere for Jewish Londoners, though members of the Jewish community have been among those on pro-cease-fire marches.

Mr. Gove said the new definition does not criminalize anyone and is “not a restraint on free speech” or aimed at stopping protests.

“Today’s definition applies only to government and makes it clear that we will keep these organizations at arm’s length so they can’t benefit from access to government and its funds,” he said.