The former head of counter terrorism at the Met Police, Neil Basu has warned that some of the violence seen on the streets of the UK has now “crossed the line into terrorism.”
Basu who held his position from 2018 until 2021 said that he is hoping his “successors are looking at that very closely.”
Basu told the BBC, “I think we have seen serious acts of violence designed to cause terror to a section of our community.”
Basu added, “people should look very carefully” at what the legal definition of terrorism is.
The legal definition of terrorism according to the government states, “The use or threat of serious violence against a person or serious damage to property where that action is: designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public.”
The former counter terror chief said the violence seen has been triggered by “lies spread through social media,” he added, “we need to do something about that.”
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson who is sunning himself with his family in Cyprus has been accused of posting inflammatory content to thousands of his followers.
Basu said there are gaps in the law over hateful extremism, this needs to plugged to stop the likes of Robinson “glorifying and creating violence from his sunbed in the Mediterranean.”
“Yaxley-Lennon knows well he’s in the full glare of policing, counter-terrorism policing, and the security service.”
He said that Robinson has “spent many years skirting round various fringes of the law” this has enabled him to “inflame and toxify debates and create the kind of mayhem we’re seeing.”
“If he is not crossing a legal threshold, then the government and society need to consider if that threshold is in the wrong place,” Basu added.
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