Labour's Islamophobia definition could deter police, adviser warns
Barrister warns state-approved definition could chill investigations and limit free speech as Labour drafts non-statutory Islamophobia framework
A top barrister who advises the Attorney General warned that Labour's proposed non-statutory definition of Islamophobia could deter police from investigating Muslims suspected of crime and could restrict free speech.
Tom Cross KC, a member of the Attorney General's A panel of Crown Counsel, said in a legal opinion commissioned by the Free Speech Union that it would be reasonable to suppose the definition would be relied on to object to the use of powers by police and security services to investigate persons who happen to be Muslim for criminal offences. It could include offences of the most serious violent or sexual nature. The KC's opinion also warned that an official Islamophobia definition could be used to rewrite harassment and hate crime laws, risking a dilution of current legislation which allows those accused of making offensive comments to argue their remarks were