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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Alan Greene, Reader in Constitutional Law and Human Rights, University of Birmingham

Southport attack: changing the definition of terrorism won’t stop the violence

Axel Rudakubana Terrorism Sir Keir Starmer Southport Terrorist Rhianan Rudd Shamima Begum Murder Police Prevent

Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to a minimum 52 years in jail for the killing of three young girls in Southport in a stabbing attack in 2024. After Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murders, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a public inquiry, saying the state “failed in its duty” to protect the girls.

Central to this is the revelation that Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme three times, but failed to meet the threshold for intervention. As a result, Keir Starmer has vowed to change terror laws to deal with lone, violent killers.

But as a researcher of counter-terrorism laws, I argue there is little point to widening what is already a broad definition of terrorism.

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