As police begin to arrest and prosecute those involved in the far-right, racist, Islamophobic riots that have shaken the UK, some are calling for them to face terrorism charges.
Essentially, terrorism is illegitimate political violence. And riots are, by definition, violent. It is also clear that these riots are politically motivated. So should they be prosecuted as terrorism? Doing so could send a strong message of condemnation about fascism, but prosecuting people for terrorism is complex. And it isn’t always the best option.
At the outset, it’s important to note there is no specific crime called “terrorism” in UK law. Instead, there are lots of different criminal offences that use the definition of terrorism as their basis.
