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Christian organisations may very well be caught out below the federal government’s new extremism definition, a charity has warned.
Christian coverage group CARE stated that the brand new definition was “over-broad” and would put in danger teams that make “countercultural statements” on points “blacklisted by officers who’ve a political agenda”.
The definition is geared toward extremist and Far-Right teams however critics have warned of a ‘chilling impact’ on free speech.
The authorities calls extremism “the promotion or development of an ideology primarily based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that goals to: negate or destroy the elemental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or substitute the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights”.
Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE, stated that whereas it was proper to handle extremism, the brand new definition dangers undermining civil liberties.
“Extremism is an actual risk to our society. The values of militant Islamists and much proper teams are fully opposite to our democratic system and the Christian worldview. It is completely proper that the spreading of lies, and racial and non secular hatred is confronted,” he stated.
“At the identical time, the federal government’s new extremism definition should be intently scrutinised. Policies of this type are notoriously fraught. There is all the time a hazard that in making an attempt to catch genuinely dangerous behaviour, wider civil liberties are disproportionately undermined.”
Hendry warned that phrases like ‘hatred’ and ‘intolerance’ may very well be interpreted “very extensively” and doubtlessly catch out mainstream Christian teams over their views on points like abortion, sexuality and transgender ideology.
“Whilst the brand new definition won’t have statutory pressure, the federal government will punish teams and publish a blacklist for all to see. There is a danger that campaigning people inside authorities might unfairly search to have sure teams proscribed for holding ‘the mistaken beliefs’,” he stated.
“The authorities’s intentions are good, however its method is problematic. There are good mechanisms in place to cope with harmful teams and people. The police want to use current legal guidelines successfully, and constantly. We’d urge the federal government to concentrate on this key difficulty.”
