Domestic Extremists

A term used by the British police to describe political activists and protesters.

The Guardian recently revealed that British police maintain a national database of domestic activists which includes the personal details of thousands of protesters:

The hidden apparatus has been constructed to monitor “domestic extremists,” the Guardian can reveal in the first of a three-day series into the policing of protests. Detailed information about the political activities of campaigners is being stored on a number of overlapping IT systems, even if they have not committed a crime.

Senior officers say domestic extremism, a term coined by police that has no legal basis, can include activists suspected of minor public order offences such as peaceful direct action and civil disobedience.

According to The Guardian, the national database allows police forces across Britain to access information about activists, including video footage and photographs of political events.

Tactics for combatting “domestic extremism” include the use of “spotter cards.” As The Guardian explained:

Surveillance officers [at protests] are provided with “spotter cards” used to identify the faces of target individuals who police believe are at risk of becoming involved in domestic extremism. Targets include high-profile activists regularly seen taking part in protests. …

(According to The Guardian, the term “domestic extremism” was firstused in 2006; it has “no official or legal definition.”)

See also: Kettling.