Should extreme misogyny be labelled terrorism?

The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has reportedly ‘ordered a review’ of Britain’s counter-extremism strategy. According to the Daily Telegraph, she was minded to treat ‘extreme misogyny’ as terrorism for the first time. It is suggested that the review would be completed later in the autumn, and that a new counter-extremism strategy would be launched early next year.

When discussing this issue, it is tempting to use the terms ‘terrorism’ and ‘extremism’ interchangeably. In law, however, they are not identical and should not be conflated. The definition of terrorism is contained in section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and captures actions, or threats of action, designed to influence the government, or intimidate the public (or sections of the public) where such activities are made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. Actions and threats covered by section 1 include those which would involve serious violence against a person, endanger a person’s life, or create a serious risk to the safety of the public or a section of the public.