More speech, not less

In early December 2016, the High Court heard a test case brought by Mr. Salman Butt, a British Muslim labelled an extremist in a September 2015 press release by the Government’s Extremism Task Force. The litigation challenges the legitimacy of the Government’s ‘Prevent’ Strategy, which proscribes methods for identifying individuals allegedly expressing ‘vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values.’ The intent of ‘Prevent’ is ultimately to suppress the views of extremists, expression of which, according to ‘Prevent,’ puts society at risk of violent harm.