The UK government has set out a definition of extremism that will be used to assess groups and individuals based on whether they promote an ideology of “violence, hatred or intolerance”. It will apply to organisations but will not criminalise them, and those meeting the definition will be blocked from receiving government funding and meeting officials. Five groups have already been named as being under review, with concerns expressed about the “Islamist orientation” of three of them, while the remaining two are said to promote “Neo-Nazi ideology”. The groups include Cage, MEND, and the Muslim Association of Britain, as well as the British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative.
The five organisations have not yet been added to a definitive list and will be assessed according to the new activist definition, which is more precise than the 2011 version. Despite warnings from some MPs and civil liberties groups against using the definition to score political headlines, Communities Secretary Michael Gove argued that the new definition would enhance government efforts to prevent radicalisation. He said that the definition was important to be “precise in the use of language” and added that “Islamism is a totalitarian ideology which seeks to divide, calls for the establishment of an Islamic state governed by sharia law and seeks the overthrow of liberal democratic principles.”
Alongside the redefinition, a Counter-Extremism Centre of Excellence has been set up to gather intelligence and identify extremist groups. The community secretary has said that a list of those groups meeting the new definition will be drawn up following “careful” reviews of evidence and consultation with civil servants. There is not yet any indication of precisely when the list of groups will be made public. Meanwhile, groups and individuals labelled under extremism will have the right to seek reassessment and submit new evidence to a review. If they still disagree, they can challenge the decision through a judicial review of the verdict
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