Extinction Rebellion listed as ‘extremist ideology’ by terror police
2 min read
Terror police have admitted to an “error of judgment” after listing Extinction Rebellion as an “extreme ideology”.
According to the Guardian, the environmental protest movement was added to a 12-page guide alongside banned groups such as the far-right National Action.
The document was produced by Counter Terrorism Policing South East, part of the national counter-terrorism network, and shared with police forces and governmental organisations.
It described Extinction Rebellion as “a campaign encouraging protest and civil disobedience to pressure governments to take action on climate change and species extinction.”
Explaining how the group could be considered a “threat”, it reads: “An anti-establishment philosophy that seeks system change underlies its activism; the group attracts to its events school-age children and adults unlikely to be aware of this.
“While non-violent against persons, the campaign encourages other law-breaking activities.”
An Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman told the BBC: “Teachers, grandparents, nurses have been trying their best with loving non-violence to get politicians and big business to do something about the dire state of our planet.
“And this is how the establishment responds.”
In a statement, Set Ch Supt Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “I would like to make it quite clear that we do not classify Extinction Rebellion as an extremist organisation.
“The inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in this document was an error of the judgement and we will now be reviewing all of the contents as a result.”
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