Last week the Christian Institute stated, ‘The Government’s planned Counter-Extremism and Safeguarding Bill must be carefully crafted to avoid damaging freedom of expression.’ The chief executive of Index on Censorship said, ‘We should resist any attempts to make it a crime for people of faith to talk publicly about their beliefs, for political parties to voice unpopular views, and for venues to host anyone whose opinions challenge the status quo. We urge the Government to use its consultation to ensure this does not happen.’ The proposals for a new law, outlined in the Queen’s Speech, are more ambiguous than earlier Government proposals. Current legislation already prohibits incitement to violence and terrorism, and a compelling case for broadening them further through civil measures has not been made. It is still not clear how new legislation would deal with the problem of defining ‘extremism’ in a way that would not threaten free speech.