Five paranoid reasons why the police label campaigners as “domestic extremists”

May 29, 2019 | Domestic Extremism, Protest

This article first appeared on The Canary on 30 May 2019 It is unclear exactly how many people have their personal details included on the police’s national “domestic extremist” database – to give it its full name, the National Special Branch Intelligence System...

Talking to the Cops – A Guide for Protest Groups

Mar 13, 2019 | Protest

Acknowledging a renewed debate about the merits and risks for protesters negotiating or communicating with the police, one of the co-founders of environmental group Extinction Rebellion claimed in February that concerns raised by other campaigners were “a proxy for...

Anti-fracking campaigners launch new network to coordinate complaints about police misconduct

Dec 14, 2018 | Protest

PHOTO: Netpol Ongoing evidence of confrontational and often violent and dangerous conduct by police officers at the shale gas fracking site at Preston New Road in Lancashire has sparked a coordinated effort to encourage campaigners to formally complain about their...

A War on Dissent?

Oct 31, 2018 | Comment, Domestic Extremism, Protest

This essay by Netpol was first published by the Transnational Institute and ROAR Magazine in October 2018. An accompanying short film is available here. Writing in 2016, Netpol observed that the government and the police in Britain are in a “permanent state of war”...

“Aaron-gate” – Prevent’s latest smearing of legitimate political dissent

Jul 31, 2018 | Domestic Extremism, Protest

A report on tackling ‘hateful extremism’ commissioned in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack has been caught up in a barrage of criticism entirely of its authors’ own making, after smearing anti-fracking campaigners and then admitting it...

Police must respect protesters’ right to oppose Trump visit

Jul 12, 2018 | Protest

As large numbers of police officers from around the country are redeployed to respond to demonstrations against President Trump’s visit to the UK on Friday, Netpol is calling on police not to undermine people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly...