UK Unveils New Definition Of Extremism To Counter Hate Crimes

The previous definition was in a 2011 counter-terrorism strategy programme known as Prevent.

Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday to counter a surge in hate crimes, raising some concerns it would inhibit free speech and unfairly target Muslim groups.

Why is the government doing this?

The previous definition was in a 2011 counter-terrorism strategy programme known as Prevent. The government said this needed to be updated after a surge in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.