The government does not consider Extinction Rebellion to be an extremist organisation, the security minister has said, after counter-terrorism documents featuring the climate emergency activists were revealed in the Guardian. Brandon Lewis was forced to clarify the government’s stance on Extinction Rebellion and a wide range of non-violent protest groups in response to an urgent question tabled in the House of Commons. Lewis said: “Counter-terrorism policing in this country is operationally independent. “Counter-terrorism policing South-East have for example stated categorically that they do not classify Extinction Rebellion as an extremist organisation and the inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in their guidance to frontline officers was an error of judgment. Police chiefs have emphasised they do not believe Extinction Rebellion and other non-violent groups named in the documents are extremists or of counter-terrorism interest.

Source: The Guardian January 22, 2020 14:26 UTC