Thoughtcrimes: Politics, Communities and Security

Wednesday, 21 October 2015, 1pm-5.15pm

The UK government’s proposed extremism legislation will affect both the public debate around the legitimacy of counter-terrorism measures, and the development of community relations in the UK. The debate has been given greater resonance by the Prevent Duty having legal status in schools and colleges, as of 1st July 2015. In the proposed Extremism legislatin, the focus will be on “non-violent extremism” and “British values”. Can the law justifiably target those who undermine “British values”, and restrict their activities? Does this mean we are creating Orwellian thoughtcrimes, where certain types of belief commitment, rather than any illegal actions, are regulated, restricted and even criminalised? This seminar, in the Thought crimes series, will address these and related questions from various disciplines and employing the insights of both researchers and practitioners.