Thought under fire

SIR – The Counter-terrorism and Border Security Bill returns to Parliament today. But instead of focusing on protecting society from serious crime, the Government is straying dangerously close to putting thought crime on our statute books.

The Bill chills academic inquiry and free expression by criminalising speech that “expresses” support for proscribed organisations, as well as the publication of certain images, with scant protection for people engaging in legitimate debates or conducting historical or journalistic work.

Most egregiously, people could face up to 15 years in prison for knowingly clicking just once on content the Government believes is “likely to be useful” to terrorists, even if they access it for research or investigative purposes, or simply out of curiosity.

Calls for an independent review of the discredited Prevent strategy, which stifles freedom of speech on campuses, have been ignored. Instead, the Bill further enmeshes local authorities in Prevent, securitising the relationship between public bodies and those they serve. As scholars belonging to a tradition of curiosity, debate and intellectual independence, we call on the Government to scrap these offences, implement an independent review of Prevent, and uphold the freedom of expression and equality that underpin our work. Dr Katy Sian

University of York Dr Omar Khan Director, Runnymede Trust Dr Sivamohan Valluvan University of Warwick Professor Bill Bowring

School of Law, Birkbeck College and 110 others; see telegraph.co.uk