Protesters Can Be Prosecuted for Chanting Jihad, Says Terror Law Watchdog

Protesters chanting “jihad” may be prosecuted under current anti-terrorism law, said Jonathan Hall, KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. In his report on terrorism legislation and protests, published on Thursday, Mr. Hall said those who chant “jihad” may be prosecuted under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which criminalises statements that are likely to be understood as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation, or instigation of terrorist attacks. The section “very much applies to protests and marches” and “might well apply to a person who led chants for ‘jihad’ in the context of a march, especially if terrorist attacks had already been carried out in support of the speaker’s cause, and members of the public might reasonably see a chant of jihad as encouragement to carry out their own act of terrorism in the UK or overseas. Jihad has benign meanings but, in this context, would likely refer to violence,” the report said....