The new anti-terrorism legislation is a telling indicator of what the UK presumes to be of preeminent threat to social order. While the laws are aimed at the al-Qaeda network , they will also apply to the radical eco-terrorism network of ALF (see logo below) and its offshoots.

The aim of the Serious and Organised Crime Act is to crack down on those “who glorify militant acts against economic targets and laboratories,” the so-called preachers of hate. The chosen verbage seems more appropriate for the eco-terrorist movement, which targets both named venues, than the jihadist one, which has not historically targeted labs. However, if the law allows law enforcement to curtain the efforts by radical clerics, all the better. Further, said Home Secretary Charles Clarke : “I certainly think that animal rights terrorism is something that has to be attacked. Those who argue that committing violent acts of terror to promote the cause of animal rights and who justify it by referring to it would be covered by this legislation.”