02-08-2011, 01:44 AM
Grass war? Met police retracts call for public to report anarchists
Scotland Yard dismisses counter-terror unit's bizarre appeal for anti-anarchist whistleblowers as 'badly worded'
Scotland Yard dismisses counter-terror unit's bizarre appeal for anti-anarchist whistleblowers as 'badly worded'
- Robert Booth
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 August 2011 18.48 BST<li class="history" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-weight: normal; display: block; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Article history
![[Image: anarchists-at-millbank-to-007.jpg]](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/8/1/1312220713192/anarchists-at-millbank-to-007.jpg)
Are there any anarchists here? Police clash with protesters in Millbank Tower during the tuition fees protests. The Met police has retracted an appeal for the public to report anarchists to police. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian/Felix Clay
The Metropolitan police initiated an embarrassing climbdown after a police station in Belgravia, west London, published a leaflet asking the public and businesses to report anyone with anarchist sympathies.
The call for information on a political rather than criminal group echoed a similar appeal for information about al-Qaida activity and "could have been better worded", Scotland Yard admitted.
City of Westminster police's "counter-terrorist focus desk" had last week called for anti-anarchist whistleblowers, stating next to an anarchist emblem: "Anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state undesirable, unnecessary and harmful, and instead promotes a stateless society, or anarchy. Any information relating to anarchists should be reported to your local police."
The move angered some anarchists who insisted that being an anarchist does not imply criminal behaviour.
After 24 hours trying to discover why the counter-terrorism desk at Belgravia police station had issued the injunction under the banner of Project Griffin, an initiative raising awareness of counter-terrorism and security issues among business, public sector and security personnel, Scotland Yard said: "The Metropolitan police service does not seek to stigmatise those people with legitimate political views.
"People purporting to be anarchists have caused criminal damage this year to business premises, and government buildings in Westminster. The message we were trying to convey was to gather information on criminal acts to help us prevent crime and bring offenders to justice."
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.