Officers agree that anti-fracking campaigners are not ‘extremists’

Police Scotland has stressed that it does not consider environmental protesters to be “extremists” after a row over fracking.

The force was embroiled in controversy last week after it emerged its annual plan had referred to fracking protesters in a section entitled “domestic extremism”.

Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie raised the issue at Holyrood, saying the campaigners are “heroes” and questioning the treatment of peaceful demonstrators.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said peaceful campaign- 0 Patrick Harvie said the campaigners were ‘heroes’

ers should not be considered extremists.

In a letter to Holyrood’s justice sub-committee on policing, Detective Chief Superintendent Gerry Mclean wrote: “Police Scotland does not consider any form of lawful and peaceful protest to constitute domestic extremism; however, we accept that from a presentational perspective a misinterpretation of this position may have been given from the way this small section of the annual police plan was worded and presented.”

Sub-committee convener John Finnie said: “Law-abiding citizens who wish to protest peacefully should not have to be concerned about the threat – perceived or real – of being labelled a domestic extremist. Changing the wording in the annual police plan to remove this inference is exactly the right thing to do.”