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Peaceful Protesters Included on Police Database of 'Domestic Extremists'
Peaceful protesters are being included on a national police database of activists including animal rights activists, far-right groups and other ‘domestic extremists’, according to reports.
The data includes pictures of people taken demonstrations and other observations made by police on the scene, such as vehicle registration numbers. These enable cars to be tracked using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
The database includes photographs and license plate details of those attending protests. (AFP) The Guardian reported that a man with no criminal record was stopped more than 25 times in less than three years after he went to a small protest against duck and pheasant shooting.
However Anton Setchell, the Association of Chief Police Officers' national coordinator for domestic extremism, said anyone on the list who had not done anything wrong "should not worry at all".
He said he understood that some peaceful demonstrators might object to being monitored by surveillance officers, but added: "What I would say where the police are doing that, there would need to be the proper justifications."
Mr Setchell declined to say how many people were on the database - saying it was "not easy" to count - but estimated it numbered in the thousands.
The NPOIU is one of three units run by the Association of Chief Police Officers' terrorism and allied matters committee, which has a budget of £9 million and a staff of 100.
The database can be used to help surveillance officers at demonstrations identify those who police suspect may become involved in domestic extremism.
Radical comedian Mark Thomas was mysteriously sent a laminated police ‘spotter card' which identified him as one of 24 anti-arms trade protesters.
"You can imagine my reaction at finding I was the subject of a secret police surveillance process - I was delighted. I phoned my agent and told him I was suspect H. He replied: ‘Next year we'll get you top billing... suspect A!'" he told The Guardian.
However he added: "The very phrase ‘domestic extremist' defines protesters in the eyes of the police as the problem, the enemy. Spying on entire groups and organisations, and targeting the innocent, undermines not only our rights but the law. Protest is part of the democratic process."
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20 Comments so far
Show AllThe UK today, the US tomorrow. It's called 'whipsawing'.
Oh, it's already happened here. Remember the Maryland state police stuff?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content
/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100703245.html
...and somewhere else the next day.
Everybody is a potential future terrorist in the Orwellian state. Everybody.
Duh?
They don't even have a Bill of Rights in Britain, not that our government respects it.
you can bet your ass that if you post here or any other
speak out and stand up for yourself type of web sites
your on their lists. everything you do and say is recorded
somewhere by the us spies!
I'm sure I've been on it since I joined my campus' radical student organization a couple years ago. Going to a fundraiser for Nader hosted by some Marxist buddies of mine probably kicked me up a few notches.
Who cares? Thank goodness for the security state. Us anarchists could never destroy the state as effectively as the state is doing it withut even noticing.
What is state sucide called?? is there a word for it??
The mighty xzorloc asks,
"What is state sucide called?? is there a word for it??"
Yes, it's "hubris." Coming soon to venues everywhere.
Another sure fire way to make sweeping data 'collection' meaningless. 2009, the post 4th ammendment era.
Just remember that the Nazi's were IBM's biggest customer during WWII. Something to to with keeping track of prisoners...
bend over
Another way to look at this is: Be glad you're on the list! In fact, try to get as many as possible to be on the list. Wouldn't it be a hoot if the entire population of the U.S.was on "the list?" Maybe the authorities would reconsider their strategies if the list consisted of every citizen they see. We might just as well be open about it. After all, the 'authorities" are just people as are the police, etc. Pretty soon it could be us against them!
This is great! I have been having similar thoughts for a while. By the way...
You just made the list buddy. ;)
The right wing is always a threat to civil liberties even when they pretend to be exercising them. The right is not objecting to Obama, or to repression, but to the projection onto a moderate (in media parlance) politician of radical, progressive, or socialist principles. Their real enemy isn't Obama, nor of the policing power which is only nominally in his hands, nor even the policing power itself, but that it might be deployed as vigilantly against them as it normally is against true public protest. There is no equality between right & left -- the right is always, without exception, wrong, even if they happen to be using the language of rights.
Not quite, no need to over generalize here. It stated that right-wing extremist and terrorism groups were using the tea parties as opportunities to recruit, along with trying to recruit returning veterans
Rage - rage against the dying of our rights!
Oh, so, now it's not 'domestic terrorists' anymore. Thanks to political-correctness, brainwashing and all that shit, it's been rebranded into 'domestic extremestis.' Can you say McCarthy, boyz and girlz?
Oh, lordy, how I hate politics!
I think we need to start a list of our own. "Extremist CEO's and Extremist Corporations". How about a list of wall street bankers too. Hold up the photo recognition quick reference guide and if the SOB matches it, don't talk to him or do business with him....
"However Anton Setchell, the Association of Chief Police Officers' national coordinator for domestic extremism, said anyone on the list who had not done anything wrong "should not worry at all".
Gee, where have I heard this one before? Oh yes, the train list for Jews to be sent to the concentration camps......
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
So what is any different from the 1960s, when protesters were being investigated by the FBI?