North Yorkshire Police

Response to anti-fracking protestors being labelled a terrorist threat under Prevent policy

Four days after a report published on Spinwatch revealing that anti-fracking protestors had been labelled as 'domestic extremists' under the City of York Council and Merseyside Police's Prevent recently updated policies, North Yorkshire Police's acting assistant chief constable Amanda Oliver said:

To avoid any doubt, anti-fracking protesters ‎are not seen as a terrorist threat by the police in North Yorkshire.

On the contrary, the groups of local protesters have been nothing but peaceful and respectful of the law. Not one arrest has been made in connection with protest action associated with the issue in our area.

We will continue to liaise with all groups involved in the issue, to ensure people’s right for lawful protest, maximizing the safety of all concerned, while minimising disruption to the wider community.

Further investigation

A further investigation by Spinwatch revealed that the North Yorkshire police force indeed has worked in collaboration with Hambleton District Council and Richmondshire District Council to link anti-fracking campaigners to domestic extremism and terrorism.