LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2021) The absence of legislation to address hateful extremism in the United Kingdom is allowing extremists to glorify terrorism or intentionally stir up racial or religious hatred, a report issued on Wednesday by the UK Commission for Countering Extremism said.
"A great deal of hateful extremist activity is currently lawful in Britain primarily because of the lack of legislation designed to capture the specific activity of hateful extremism," the commission formed in the wake of the 2017 London Bridge terror attacks warned.
According to its findings, under current circumstances, people that glorify terrorism or praise the actions of well-known terrorists cannot be arrested or charged as long as they are not caught encouraging the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism or related offenses.
It is also lawful for extremists to intentionally stir up racial or religious hatred provided that they do not use threats, abuse or insults.
The report said for example that forming a Neo-Nazi extremist group that persistently praises the actions of Adolf Hitler and encourages members to spread Holocaust denial material and antisemitic conspiracy theories is completely legal, so as long it is not abusive, insulting, or threatening.
"Extremist groups whether neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, Islamist or others are able to operate lawfully, freely and with impunity," lead commissioner Sara Khan said.
The former head of counter-terrorism policing, Mark Rowley, who was appointed by Khan to lead the review, said he was "shocked" with the findings of the report.
"As the national lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing I have witnessed many awful acts of terrorism and violence. However, during the course of conducting this review, I have been shocked and horrified by the ghastliness and volume of hateful extremist materials and behaviour which is lawful in Britain," he said.
Both Khan and Rowley called on the government to commit to devising a new legal and operational framework to address the specific activity of hateful extremism and treat it as a priority threat alongside terrorism and online child sexual exploitation.
