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This is deeply disturbing. The current government recently placed Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and cycling advocacy group Critical Mass on a terrorist watc

by Lio 7y ago

This is deeply disturbing. The current government recently placed Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and cycling advocacy group Critical Mass on a terrorist watch list (even though it admits they aren't terrorist groups). [1] Previously we've had a situation where a cartel of 14 large construction firms operated a blacklist of workers with political opinions they disagreed with. Some were on the list merely for being members of trade unions. This blacklist was compiled illegally with the help of UK police's Special Demonstration Squad. [2] There seems to be a feeling that this sort of technology won't be misused but you can already see the signs that is exactly what will happen. [1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/critical-mass-cycling-group-terror-watch-list-home-office-a9301516.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/critical-mas... [2] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/27/on-the-blacklist-building-firms-secret-information-on-workers https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/27/on-the-black...

djmobley 7y ago
> The current government recently placed Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and cycling advocacy group Critical Mass on a terrorist watch list (even though it admits they aren't terrorist groups). No they didn’t. They placed their symbols alongside many others in a document which aids police forces in identifying both left and right wing groups of various persuasions [1]. Would you rather the police were ignorant of these groups and their associated symbols, such that they mistook peaceful protestors for terrorists? [1] https://rebellion.earth/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Counter-terrorism-poster.pdf https://rebellion.earth/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Counte...
- Lio 7y ago
  That document makes no mention about which groups are peaceful protestors and which are terrorists. So no one working solely from that list could make that judgement. If it really was just a list of symbols for groups that might hold a peaceful but potentially disruptive protest then I would expect to see the Countryside Alliance or London Taxis Drivers Association on there... but they are not present.

by Lio 7y ago

djmobley 7y ago

> The current government recently placed Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and cycling advocacy group Critical Mass on a terrorist watch list (even though it admits they aren't terrorist groups). No they didn’t. They placed their symbols alongside many others in a document which aids police forces in identifying both left and right wing groups of various persuasions [1]. Would you rather the police were ignorant of these groups and their associated symbols, such that they mistook peaceful protestors for terrorists? [1] https://rebellion.earth/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Counter-terrorism-poster.pdf https://rebellion.earth/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Counte...

Lio 7y ago
That document makes no mention about which groups are peaceful protestors and which are terrorists. So no one working solely from that list could make that judgement. If it really was just a list of symbols for groups that might hold a peaceful but potentially disruptive protest then I would expect to see the Countryside Alliance or London Taxis Drivers Association on there... but they are not present.