The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have spoken out against Michael Gove’s planned redefinition of extremism, stating that it risks vilifying the wrong people and creating more division. Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell believe that the response to the rise in extremism, as called out by Rishi Sunak, would threaten freedom of speech and worship. They added that the definition threatened to disproportionately target Muslim communities and that the government needed to reconsider and consult more widely with all those affected.
The archbishops urged the government to include groups and networks throughout the country in the discussion of what is meant by extremism. Speaking on the matter, Mr Welby stated that extremism is a general principle that moves around and changes itself, happening in all sorts of faith groups, and is a dangerous problem indeed. He also acknowledged the rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic behavior and the fear within these communities, which reinforced the need to address extremism.
The government is expected to set out a new official definition of extremism. Mr Gove announced that some pro-Palestinian events “have been organised by extremist organisations” but the archbishops believe that the government’s response risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities. They have offered to work with the government to help communities discuss the plans and are fulfilling a historic role.
The Church of England’s position is that the government’s response to extremism is threatening freedom of speech, worship, and peaceful protests. They, therefore, are requesting that the government reconsider and consult widely with all those affected, warning against labelling a multiplex problem as hateful extremism. The archbishops also highlighted that the overall tone of the UK’s political discussion is extremely concerning and risks inciting more division
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