by Gordon Rayner and Allison Pearson, Telegraph
Campaigners warn South Wales constabulary new guidance is a threat to free speech
A police force has been accused of threatening free speech after telling officers to record instances of “hostility” towards Muslims.
South Wales Police has instructed staff to log anything that goes beyond “legitimate” discussion of Islam.
Campaigners fear this subjective definition gives officers the power to decide what is acceptable behaviour and could have a “chilling effect” on free speech.
They argue that if an officer decides someone has crossed the line in a conversation about Islam or Muslims, they will create a record of an anti-social behaviour incident, which would then be disclosed if the person who said it was vetted by an employer.
The Free Speech Union has written to the force demanding it withdraw its guidance to staff, with the campaign group warning that it will seek a judicial review of the matter if it refuses to back down.
‘Penalising people for expression’
Lord Young, the union founder, said the force risked “penalising people for expressing misgivings about Islam”, contrary to free speech protections enshrined in law.
The Telegraph previously revealed that the chairman of an independent police scrutiny panel was removed after insisting that West Yorkshire Police addressed the “elephant in the room” of Islamist extremism following a terrorist attack on a synagogue.