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A Green politician marked by the Metropolitan Police as an “extremist” took the force to task yesterday at a counterterrorism meeting in London.
Jenny Jones grilled Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe about suspicions that data had been deleted from her files, which had been compiled to paint her as a “domestic extremist,” after she had made two requests to see information held on herself.
Mr Hogan-Howe insisted he and his deputy Craig Mackey would only answer complaints in private, despite Ms Jones giving him permission to talk about her case at the public meeting in City Hall.
Baroness Jones, a member of the London Assembly and the House of Lords, said: “I’m curious. Has the intervening material been deleted? If you’re treating me like this, then you could be treating others in the same way — or possibly even worse.”
When Mr Hogan-Howe refused to budge, she added: “Well I am not happy with that answer because I am asking about myself and I do feel that something has gone wrong.”
She also spoke out against her treatment under the government’s controversial Prevent programme in a minority report published yesterday.
Baroness Jones wrote: “The Met has previously included myself and several journalists in their database of ‘domestic extremists.’ This shows how words such as ‘extremism’ can be interpreted in a surprisingly broad brush way.”
Counterterrorism strategies are also creating barriers around Muslim communities and would further isolate those susceptible to radical rhetoric, she added.
The committee also touched upon the rising number of Islamophobic crimes in the wake of the Paris shootings.
According to the Met, 76 incidents in London were reported two weeks after the attacks, compared to 24 the week before, including an arson attempt at Finsbury Park mosque.
Mr Hogan-Howe admitted there was a spike in anti-Muslim violence and abuse but said the numbers were “relatively low for a city of this size.”
Labour Assembly Member Jennette Arnold asked him what the force was doing to catch the arsonists. He said police had increased patrols.
