Scottish counter-terrorism officers sent out a controversial guide listing Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace alongside neo-Nazi groups within the past few weeks, despite widespread condemnation of the document.

Police Scotland confirmed to the Guardian that it had circulated documents listing the environment protest groups alongside dozens of extremist neo-Nazi organisations, including several banned for terrorist violence, across the public sector last month.

Those include medical staff in the NHS who were sent it in late January by a detective inspector in Police Scotland’s counter-terrorism unit in Edinburgh as part of the UK-wide counter-terrorism Prevent strategy. The officer invited recipients to distribute it widely within their organisations.

The two documents, a 23-page “Signs and Symbols” guidance booklet and a four-page list of those symbols, include groups such as Animal Aid, Peta, Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Stop the Badger Cull alongside the banned neo-Nazi group National Action, the white supremacist group Scottish Dawn, the National Front and Britain First.

Some of the environment groups involved are considering legal action. Echoing the stance of police forces in England, Police Scotland said the document stressed not all groups listed were seen as terrorist.

The 23-page document, written in June 2019, says: “Membership or support of these groups does not indicate criminality; much of the activity conducted by such groups is lawful protest.”

John Finnie, a Scottish Green party MSP and former police officer, said the police had a duty to distinguish much more clearly between non-violent protest groups and neo-Nazi terrorists, particularly since anti-terrorism legislation was very different to that for civil protest.

“Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and rights, and must not be conflated with violent acts that seek to cause people harm,” Finnie said.

“Sometimes these protests seek to cause major disruption or inconvenience, and sometimes this falls out with the law, but that is a world away from extremist groups who present a real danger to our citizens. It’s completely disproportionate.”

Finnie said the force’s decision to circulate these documents undermined recent assurances he was given by its deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham that Police Scotland had not distributed another controversial document which labelled Extinction Rebellion an extremist ideology alongside proscribed Islamist and neo-Nazi groups.

That document, produced by a police unit called Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), was widely circulated across the public sector in England. Police chiefs apologised and withdrew it.

In a letter to Finnie on 24 January, Graham said his force “does not consider or designate Extinction Rebellion as a ‘terrorist group’ or to be extremist or pose a national security threat. However, we recognise the negativity that may come from linking counter-terrorism policing with the activities of such lawful protest groups.”

Finnie said: “I am disappointed that despite telling me groups like XR, Greenpeace and CND are not regarded as terrorists, Police Scotland continues to brief councils and businesses that they present a threat to the public.”

In January last year, Police Scotland warned businesses in central Edinburgh to prepare for a demonstration by Extinction Rebellion by ensuring there were no dustbins, “debris” or ladders nearby; to test their alarms, and to ensure any nearby scaffolding was watched by security staff.

The document was published under the auspices of a UK-wide security advisory body run by police and the government called Cross-sector Safety and Security Communications (CSSC), set up in 2011 to increase security before the 2012 London Olympics.

It opened a Scottish office to help police, councils and businesses prepare for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Police Scotland warning said: “From previous demos it will be peaceful, but Extinction Rebellion are happy to be arrested to promote their cause. Given this the advice to the business community is to refresh security protocols and prevent entry to private space without the proper protocols in place.”

During an afternoon of peaceful protests, Extinction Rebellion occupied the Scottish parliament’s debating chamber for several hours without any arrests. Several months later, its activists blocked rush-hour traffic in central Edinburgh by gluing themselves to the road and locking themselves together.

A spokeswoman for Extinction Rebellion Scotland said: “This what early stage authoritarianism looks like. [The] effect is that we now have to worry about what our doctors and teachers will think about our involvement in trying to protect the planet. Including XR on counter-terrorism pamphlets influences the public perception of who we are. But we are just members of the public trying to make a difference.”

DCS Phil Chapman, head of organised crime and counter-terrorism with Police Scotland, defended the force’s handling of the signs and symbols material. “We are regularly provided with a range of guidance documents to support consistent messaging and assist our officers, staff and partners,” he said.

“Officers provide advice to partners on a whole range of issues, some of which are not related to terrorism, for example protecting crowded places at times of protest. Guidance is often shared with partners and other interested parties to improve collaboration and understanding.”