Green Mayor would ask Met Police to stop ‘wasting time’ monitoring non violent campaigners

28 April 2016

Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate for London Mayor, has discovered that she appears to be on the domestic extremism database. The monitoring covers the recent period when she is hoping to be elected as head of the Mayor’s office for Police and Crime, the person with the legal responsibility to hold the Met Police to account. 

Sian asked the Met Police to disclose any information held on her by their domestic extremism unit, or on Crimint, which is operated by the local borough police. The very brief set of records held on Sian Berry include a reference to her signing an open letter about the Pope's visit along with other members of the British Humanist Association such as Stephen Fry and Terry Pratchett. The most curious entry appears to be a reference to Sian Berry speaking at Green Party conference, which could imply that the conference was being monitored, possibly by an under-cover officer.

This revelation follows the discovery that Green Peer, Baroness Jenny Jones was on the domestic extremism database for ten years, including the period when she was on the Metropolitan Police Authority which scrutinised the police and set their budget each year. Elected as a London Assembly member for 16 years, she got assurances that the criteria had been changed to focus the monitoring on those involved in serious crime, or terrorism, with the result that thousands of names were dropped from the database. However, she has subsequently reappeared on the database despite never been convicted of any crime. Caroline Lucas the Green MP also discovered she had a record.

Sian Berry said:

"It's staggering that the Met Police can waste time on monitoring me, other elected Greens and many peaceful campaigners for change. It appears that the Met has learned nothing from the scandal of undercover policing and the monitoring of campaigners like the Lawrence family.

"As Mayor I ask Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to review all the Met Police work on domestic extremism, Prevent and counter terrorism to ensure that it is narrowly focused on dealing with the real challenges of violent terrorist activity and hate crime. I would like the Met Police focused on catching serious criminals and terrorists, not wasting time and our money snooping on Green politicians and campaigners who they think might want to change the status quo."

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