LONDON: As prominent figures in the Conservative party, including PM Rishi Sunak, create a narrative about London’s largely peaceful pro-Palestine protests as “a threat to democracy” or “extremist”, the British government on Thursday unveiled a new definition of extremism and banned ministers and civil servants from talking to or funding organisations deemed to fall within the new meaning.

Whereas the previous definition of extremism focused on actions, the new one frames it around an ideology. It says extremism “is 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)”.

The justification given for the new definition by Communities Minister Michael Gove is that they are a response to hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the Oct 7 Gaza conflict. But critics warn that it risks infringing on freedom of speech, and that it will largely target Muslim groups.

In the aftermath of Sunak’s warning some weeks earlier that “Islamists and far right groups” are threatening British democracy, Gove said the aim of this new definition was to target “extreme rightwing and Islamist extremists who are seeking to separate Muslims from the rest of society and create division within Muslim communities”.

In his announcement in the House of Commons, Gove said groups included the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) and CAGE International. Other organisations whose names have been leaked as potentially falling within the definition are Friends of al-Aqsa, 5Pillars and Palestine Action.

MAB and CAGE have both condemned the definition change, saying it was an assault on civil liberties which targeted Muslim groups.

It comes as Gove singled out pro-Palestinian protesters who have been marching for a ceasefire in Gaza, and criticised those who use the slogan “from the river to the sea”, the meaning of which is itself contested.

Tell Mama, a group which monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said last month that anti-Muslim hate crimes also had grown by 335 per cent since the Oct 7 attacks. Antisemitic incidents rose by 147pc in 2023 to record levels, especially after the attacks, according to Community Security Trust, a Jewish safety watchdog.

Still, concern has been voiced by figures ranging from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, to former Conservative government ministers.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has been battling racist and Islamophobic comments from Tory ministers in recent weeks, said the new definition will create problems. “Without achieving a broad consensus on the definition of extremism, the government risks exacerbating community tensions further and making the job of tackling extremism more difficult.”

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2024