Reform UK Shadow Chancellor Robert Jenrick has vowed to keep fighting for free speech after being reported to the police and counter-terror programme Prevent over his comments about Islamism.
“They reported John Cleese last week, me this week”, Jenrick said.
“So they want to bully me? Bring it on.”
The complaints followed his appearance on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken programme on Tuesday, during which he warned about radical Islam and the “creeping Islamification of the United Kingdom”.
“Radical Islam is a threat to everything that we hold dear in this country,” he said. “That it has to be fought and destroyed.”
According to GB News, the Metropolitan Police received a complaint asking officers to assess whether his remarks amounted to stirring up religious hatred. A separate submission asked Prevent to consider whether the interview’s overall framing fell within its definition of “extreme right-wing ideology”.
The complainant also requested that, if no criminal offence was identified, the matter be treated as a faith hate incident.
The Free Speech Union also condemned the referral, warning that attempts to use Prevent to silence criticism of Islam risk undermining counter-terrorism efforts.
“It is not extremist to criticise Islam. Blasphemy laws were abolished in this country in 2008”, a spokesman said.
“We must not let a de facto Islamic blasphemy law take root. Nor must we allow activists to weaponise Prevent to shut down criticism of Islam.”
This comes after the government adopted an official definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” in March, which many warned would give activists another tool to brand criticism of Islam as prejudice.
Jenrick warned: “An Islamophobia definition will be chilling for free speech.
“I’ll continue to fight it, as I have for many years.”
“They reported John Cleese last week, me this week”, Jenrick said.
“So they want to bully me? Bring it on.”
The complaints followed his appearance on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken programme on Tuesday, during which he warned about radical Islam and the “creeping Islamification of the United Kingdom”.
“Radical Islam is a threat to everything that we hold dear in this country,” he said. “That it has to be fought and destroyed.”
According to GB News, the Metropolitan Police received a complaint asking officers to assess whether his remarks amounted to stirring up religious hatred. A separate submission asked Prevent to consider whether the interview’s overall framing fell within its definition of “extreme right-wing ideology”.
The complainant also requested that, if no criminal offence was identified, the matter be treated as a faith hate incident.
The Free Speech Union also condemned the referral, warning that attempts to use Prevent to silence criticism of Islam risk undermining counter-terrorism efforts.
“It is not extremist to criticise Islam. Blasphemy laws were abolished in this country in 2008”, a spokesman said.
“We must not let a de facto Islamic blasphemy law take root. Nor must we allow activists to weaponise Prevent to shut down criticism of Islam.”
This comes after the government adopted an official definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” in March, which many warned would give activists another tool to brand criticism of Islam as prejudice.
Jenrick warned: “An Islamophobia definition will be chilling for free speech.
“I’ll continue to fight it, as I have for many years.”
