Campaign Against Arms Trade is listed among many other social justice campaigns which are named in a counter-terrorism police document distributed to medical staff and teachers as part of anti-extremism briefings. The document, which has been shared by the Guardian, also includes Greenpeace, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other campaigning organisations. All of these organisations are featured under the heading "left wing and associated single issue groups."
The list also includes white nationalist and racist groups among others. The list was produced by Counter Terrorism Policing for the Prevent scheme. Prevent has been widely criticised for criminalising communities, and accused of Islamophobia.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said: "The message that this appalling list sends is that if you care about social justice or oppose war, arms sales, discrimination or conflict then you can be included alongside white nationalists and neo-Nazi hate groups. Political policing has been a major problem, and this document takes things to a whole new level. It is yet another shameful attempt to repress dissent. This further discredits the fundamentally flawed Prevent scheme. It is long past time for police and government to stop criminalising democratic protest."
Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary, said: "Why is CND listed in a police counter-terror list? We have over 60 years of peaceful protest to our credit and an open, democratic structure and policy process. We have no secrets and act in the public interest.
"It is nuclear bombs that terrorise people, not our campaign which works to eradicate weapons of mass destruction. This is massive state overreach and threatens our right to political engagement and peaceful protest."
* Campaign Against Arms Trade https://www.caat.org.uk/
* Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament https://cnduk.org/
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