Netpol launches new guides for anti-fracking campaigners on policing and the law

Netpol has produced new guidance for the anti-fracking movement on resisting police surveillance and understanding laws affecting protesters.

In October 2014 a roundtable event at Unite’s headquarters in London brought together campaigners and members of the Netpol Lawyers Group to discuss the policing of anti-fracking protests and the support that Netpol could offer.

Our new guides are a response to specific requests by activists, then and at subsequent meetings around the country. The advice and information gathered together for the first time covers resisting unwarranted and intimidating surveillance by the police and includes a legal reference guide that can help campaign groups to ensure the safety of protesters when planning actions that might potentially lead to arrests or legal action.

Over nine fact sheets, we have tried to respond to many of the most common questions, from both participants in protectors camps and from local groups who are organising meetings and street stalls. Unfortunately, there is growing evidence that many police forces classify any form of organised opposition to extreme energy extraction as ‘suspect’.

You can download the two guides – Resisting Police Surveillance and Understanding Laws Affecting Protesters – or the nine fact sheets individually. Each are also available online.

To find out more, visit Anti-Fracker Guides.