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The double standards of 'counter terror'
On almost every one of their own metrics, the preposterous police report on 'extremist ideologies' exposed earlier this month should include corporate lobbyists and mainstream politicians, writes NICOLAS LALAGUNA
The police report encouraged members of the public that work with young people to report youth they observe being supportive of environmental protest groups to the anti-terrorism Prevent initative.

IN a recent official advice document, which has since been withdrawn, counter-terrorism police included Extinction Rebellion (XR) in the list of groups they believe are promoting extremist ideologies. The list included neonazis and Islamic terrorists. This document, to all intents and purposes, creates a culture where climate activism is proscribed by association.

Aimed at members of the general public that work with young people, the document was intended to inform them of the various signs and behaviours to look out for, in case their children were being radicalised by these organisations. The underlying “call-to-action” was that if the adults saw these sorts of signs they should inform the authorities via the Prevent programme.

On the section advising on what to look out for in people falling under the spell of XR, it describes the group as “a campaign encouraging protest and civil disobedience to pressure governments to take action on climate change and species extinction.”

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