South Wales Police has shelved plans to record reports of “anti-Muslim hostility” after the Free Speech Union threatened a judicial review, warning that the scheme amounted to a de facto blasphemy law. The force, which faced a referral to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission by Claire Coutinho, will now seek guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council before deciding whether to proceed. The Telegraph has the story:
A police force has shelved plans to record instances of “hostility” towards Muslims following the threat of a legal challenge.
South Wales Police said it was “pausing” the adoption of an anti-Muslim hostility definition, which opponents said was a de facto blasphemy law.
The force faced significant public criticism after the proposals were revealed by the Telegraph.
Under the initiative, police chiefs had instructed staff to log anything that went beyond what constituted a “legitimate” discussion of Islam.
Opponents warned that such a subjective definition gave officers the power to decide what was acceptable and could have had a “chilling effect” on free speech.
The force was reported to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission by the Tories. The Free Speech Union (FSU) wrote to the constabulary and threatened to launch a judicial review unless the guidance was scrapped.
Lord Young, the founder of the FSU, welcomed the decision to “press pause” and said the force should drop the guidance entirely.
“Blasphemy laws were repealed in this country 18 years ago, and we will do everything in our power to stop them being brought back by the back door,” he said.
The FSU had warned the definition would threaten the careers of people who were deemed to have crossed a line in conversations about Islam.
Under the plan, officers would create a record of an anti-social behaviour incident, which could be disclosed to employers as part of pre-job vetting.
In its letter to the force, the FSU said the guidance was incompatible with laws governing data protection and the protection of freedom of speech.
South Wales Police will decide whether to go ahead with or amend the guidance, and has sought guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Worth reading in full.
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Well done Free Speech Union. It increasingly looks like the best £3 a month I spend.
Few of us have known but the message is now becoming widely appreciated that the quango “National Police Chiefs’ Council” and “College of Policing” are the real decision makers on policing. The Police and Crime Commissioners are decorative apologists on fat salaries as perks from the old parties.
These quangos were created by none other than (drum role) Theresa May who was one of the most disastrous Home Secretaries for decades. She followed up by deliberately delivering a disastrous Brexit negotiation.
Well done Tories.
Keep up and at ’em, Toby!
So this Toby reporting on what the Telegraph said he said. Either which way. Keep it up Toby.
Why go in a straight line when you can take the scenic route?
You mean the force didn’t check the legal position first?
Spot on. Good job I checked before posting my ha’p’orth.
Knowledge of the law by the police is not what it used to be.
Came here to comment exactly that. Cheers 🥂
“You mean the force didn’t check the legal position first?”
Not necessary.
This is politics driven by ideology and dogma so the only thing that is relevant is who is going to invoke the law against them. And they correctly decided no one will so they can do it.
But then up steps Lord Young …..
Maybe the Welsh police chiefs, consider they are a law unto themselves. Perhaps other police chiefs too think along the same lines.
Great work Toby 👏