UK law ‘is too vague to provide adequate protection against the arbitrary use of police powers’.

Over the last eight years the Network For Police Monitoring, (Netpol), has campaigned to highlight the increasing evidence that the police are categorising campaigners as ‘domestic extremists’ because of their political opinions.

Police forces have been criticised for keeping secret files on the political activities of thousands of campaigners, including the Green party politicians Caroline Lucas and Jenny Jones as well as a number of journalists who appear to have been labelled ‘extremist’ simply for reporting on political protest and campaigns.