Lead Commissioner Sara Khan has appointed former Assistant
Commissioner for Specialist Operations of the Metropolitan Police
Service, Sir Mark Rowley, to lead the review.
The Commission’s flagship report ‘Challenging Hateful
Extremism’ identified and evidenced a new category of
extremist activity in our country, described as behaviours:
- that can incite and amplify hate, or engage in persistent
hatred, or equivocate about and make the moral case for violence
- that draw on hateful, hostile or supremacist beliefs directed
at an out-group who are perceived as a threat to the wellbeing,
survival or success of an in-group
- that cause, or are likely to cause, harm to individuals,
communities or wider society
The Commission gathered extensive evidence from across England
and Wales, commissioned 19 academic papers and launched the first
ever public consultation on extremism. Sara Khan visited 20 towns
and cities and spoke to experts, activists and critics alike.
Victims repeatedly told the CCE that they felt let down by the
authorities and are concerned that existing powers are not being
used effectively or consistently. For this reason, the report
included a commitment by the Commission to undertake a review of
law relevant to hateful extremism.
Sir Mark Rowley will conduct the operational review and engage
with law enforcement experts to:
- Identify whether there are gaps in existing legislation or
inconsistencies in enforcing the law in relation to hateful
extremism and
- Make practical recommendations that are compatible with
existing legal and human rights obligations.
Lead Commissioner, Sara Khan says:
As evidenced in my report, hateful extremism threatens our
ability to live well together. From inspiring acts of violence
and terrorism, to the incitement of hatred and hostility often
aimed at those with a protected characteristic, extremists are
having a devastating impact on victims, on cohesion in our
towns and cities and in undermining the social fabric and
democratic norms of our country. Hateful extremism demands a
response.
Yet despite this, our ability to counter repeat and persistent
offenders is inconsistent and often ineffective. When
extremists engage in terrorist activity, they are often caught
by robust counter-terrorism legislation. But when they incite
hatred, engage in persistent hatred or justify violence against
others, extremists know they will not cross over into the
threshold of terrorism. As a result, many extremist actors and
organisations, whether Far Right, Islamist or other, continue
to operate with impunity in our country both online and
offline.
Extremists seek to restrict the rights and fundamental freedoms
of others. They attempt to normalise and mainstream their
extremist worldview which degrades our democracy and the values
we hold dear. It is the state’s responsibility to defend those
rights and values and to do so in line with the rule of law.
This is why I am launching a review to examine the
effectiveness of existing legislation. This is even more
pertinent during the current pandemic as we see extremists
propagate horrific material which seeks to blame and incite
hatred and violence against other people in our society.
I look forward to working with Sir Mark Rowley and identifying
what more we as a society can do to challenge hateful
extremism.
Sir Mark Rowley says:
Extremism, hate crime and terrorism have all been increasing
challenges for our communities and society as a whole. While I
was in post as Head of Counter-Terrorism Policing for four
years, I knew that we had strong counter-terrorism system,
resources and laws in place. However, I increasingly realised
that nationally we are less experienced and ready to address
the growing threats from hateful extremists who encourage
community tensions, the rise in hate crime and some to even
become terrorists.
When Sara asked me to look from an operational perspective at
whether the existing legal framework has gaps that allow
extremist to flourish, I was initially cautious - not least
because successive governments have tried to tackle this very
problem, by proposing new legislation, and failed.
However, after some initial scoping I am convinced that the
Commission’s clarity of focus on ‘hateful extremism’ can help
identify the gaps that exist at the boundaries of current laws,
such as hate crime and terrorism, which are being exploited
daily by extremists.
The Commission will engage with stakeholder groups, operational
and law enforcement bodies in the coming months, and put
proposals forward to the Home Secretary later this year.
