by Khadija Khan, spiked
South Wales Police’s logging of ‘anti-Islam’ conversations is an intolerable assault on free speech.
Henry Nowak’s inhumane treatment at the hands of police in his dying moments has reignited the debate over two-tier policing in Britain. The political establishment – led by UK prime minister Keir Starmer – has been quick to pour water on this suggestion. But the evidence that some cultures are treated more equally than others by the authorities continues to mount.
It was revealed this week that South Wales Police has told officers it must record ‘anti-Islam’ conversations muttered privately or in public. According to the Free Speech Union, this includes anything that goes beyond what the police consider ‘legitimate’ criticism of Islam. If a member of the public is found to have crossed this line, they will likely have an ‘anti-social behaviour incident’ recorded against them. Do we need to remind South Wales Police that we do not have blasphemy laws in any form or shape in this country?
You could be forgiven for thinking that the feelings of British Muslims are high on the agenda of both our police and political class – certainly higher than any other religious group. After all, it was only in March that the Labour government announced its statutory definition of ‘anti-Muslim hostility’ – a watered-down version of its original ‘Islamophobia’ definition. It goes without saying that this state-sanctioned decree gives Islam protections and recognition above those enjoyed by any other religion.
South Wales Police’s blasphemy unit looks bad enough in isolation. Viewed in light of recent years, however, and the picture begins to look downright ominous.