The new offence of glorifying terrorism will make Britain less safe, says Imran Awan
The Terrorism Act 2006 (TA 2006) has made the “glorification” of terrorism a criminal offence. The difficulty with this provision is clear—when you outlaw freedom of speech you are violating civil liberties and this will surely result in Britain becoming less safe by silencing dissent.
Swept up in this new anti-terror safety net could be those who protest against dictators such as Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. This has in turn created further difficulties in respect of freedom of expression, for example a statement published in a book, newspaper, pamphlet or magazine may be read, either in hard copy or on the Internet, by UK nationals, foreign visitors and people abroad.
Under the Act a person's passionate expression might be interpreted as recklessness. If someone is calling for the end of a particular rogue regime it is not particularly relevant whether they are negligent or reckless in the way they do so. Speech offences linked to terrorism must create a stronger definition of
