Don’t jail hate preachers: Max Hill QC

The government’s terror watchdog has said introducing new laws to tackle hate preachers would be ‘quite wrong’. Max Hill QC said the creation of new criminal legislation including banning orders and extremism disruption orders should not go ahead. Both measures have been supported by Theresa May. But Hill said the law should be targeted only at those who attempt to commit or do carry out acts of violence. He recently suggested some returning British Islamic State fighters should be reintegrated into society, rather than prosecuted, as they were ‘naive’. In a speech in London to the human rights campaign group Justice, Hill is expected to say: “We do not, and should not, criminalise thought without action or preparation for action. "Whilst we can all agree that there should be nowhere for real terrorists to hide, we should also agree that legislating in the name of terrorism when the targeted activity is not actually terrorism would be quite wrong. “Thought with steps towards action can be terrorism. Thought without action or preparation for action may be extremism, but it is not terrorism. "At least, this is where I hold the dividing line. Whether others agree is a matter of debate. You will recall the proposals for banning orders, extremism disruption orders and closure orders. If any or all of them make a reappearance, that will be evidence, for me, of the creation of criminal sanctions, formal consequences which fall on the wrong side of the divide.”