Avt001 ts aud007 victoria derbyshire:guy taylor

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AVT001 - AUD007 Victoria Derbyshire talks to Tarique Ghaffur and Guy Taylor about undercover police on the Victoria Derbyshire show, BBC Radio Five Live, 28 June 2013. ▪ ▪

Programme page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01by1t0 Audio source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE0dZ3VORao

Speakers: VD = Victoria Derbyshire TG = Tarique Ghaffur GT = Guy Taylor === VD: There are fresh claims this morning about the activities of undercover police officers, as almost 9,000 people reportedly described as ‘domestic extremists’ are being monitored by a special police unit. The figure has been obtained by The Guardian through a Freedom of Information request. The Metropolitan Police’s National Domestic Extremism Unit took over some of the work of the Special Demonstration Squad, which was disbanded in 2008. The unit uses undercover officers, paid informants and other surveillance techniques to monitor campaigners ranging from right wing groups like the English Defence League, animal rights protesters to anti-capitalist protesters and anti-war demonstrators. It’s work does not involve monitoring people in relation to terrorism. It’s not known whether activists on the database of this unit have a criminal record. On its website, the Association of Chief Police Officers says the aim of the unit is to reduce and potentially remove the threat, criminality and public disorder associated with domestic extremism in the UK. ACPO point out that unlike terrorism, which is defined in the UK by the Terrorism Act of 2000, it’s hard to define what we mean by domestic extremism, because the crimes committed by those considered domestic extremists already exist in law. ACPO says the term is generally used to describe the activity of individuals or groups carrying out criminal acts of direct action to further their protest campaign. Offences might range from blackmail and serious intimidation in the name of animal rights; bombing campaigns by violent and racist individuals associated with far rightwing groups; violent disorder from left wing or anarchist individuals; to large scale criminal damage against scientific GM crop trials. There is also mass aggravated trespass or unlawful obstruction of lawful businesses associated with the national infrastructure of the UK, like power stations or airports, by those whose stated aim is to stop any business perceived to harm the environment.


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