Promoting a flourishing and safe civil society: Balancing freedom of expression with the potential for radicalisation

This project aims to ensure that freedom of thought, expression and religious belief are appropriately balanced with proportionate and effective protections against radicalisation, mitigating risk of extremist violence and terrorism. Freedom of thought, expression and belief are central values for British culture, but are qualified by the need to not impinge upon the personal rights of others. Acts of terrorism, violence and sabotage are examples of the need to limit these rights for the greater good of a flourishing civil society.  Recently, the UK government has created a new definition of extremism (UK Gov, 2024) which enjoys cross-party support. The effects of this policy on fundamental British freedoms are already evident; the newly labelled ‘extremist’ Muslim Council of Britain’s long-standing role in the UK Interfaith Network is being used as a pretence to cease government funding of that organisation, leading to its closure in April 2024 (BBC, 2024). This project seeks to build collaborative networks which will create the interdisciplinary expertise to effectively provide the information needed for a proportionate and evidence-based response to the threats of extremist rhetoric and potential radicalisation.