Domestic Extremists: Police Face Legal Action After Spying On Journalists for Years

http://bit.ly/1zfNXza A group of journalists are taking legal action after they discovered the Metropolitan Police had been systematically monitoring their movements and behavior on a secret database designed to capture “domestic extremism.” Following revelations from freelance photojournalist Jason Parkinson, who gained access to his files through a public records request, the group of six journalists have begun a challenge to legally expose what they are calling a “persistent pattern” of journalists being assaulted, monitored and searched. “Domestic extremism” became a common term used by police in 2009 when they attempted to quell supposedly criminal activities at peaceful protests. There is no technical or legal definition of the term, but police continue to operate under its auspices claiming domestic extremists are individuals or groups “that carry out criminal acts of direct action in furtherance of a campaign.” http://bit.ly/1zhU7xZ