UK redefines extremism to include promoting ‘violence, hatred or intolerance,’ negating rights

The UK government unveils a new definition of extremism that will determine which organizations get public funds and meetings with officials, prompting criticism from various civic, political and religious groups.

The change comes weeks after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned of a “shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” that risked the country tipping into “mob rule.”

Sunak’s comments follow months of controversial pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests in British cities protesting the war in Gaza that erupted after Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre.

The new wording brands extremism “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.”