I am suspect A on the spotter card printed by the Guardian, and I am, in the eyes of the police force, a "domestic extremist". This comes as no surprise to me nor did it come as any surprise to my friends, family or colleagues. I made a difficult decision to go public with the Kingsnorth story – when video footage showing me being violently arrested made the front pages – and so it didn't make much difference to my life to be splashed across the national media labelled as a "domestic extremist."

As highlighted today, "domestic extremist" is a term propagated by an unaccountable private company, the Association of Chief Police Officers.It seems to span anything from attending the wrong meetings, associating with other "known" people, being seen at protests and supporting or taking part in any form of direct action. Superintendent David Hartshorn, a senior figure in the Metropolitan police's public order branch recently testified at a Fitwatch trial as to what's required to make it onto Scotland Yard's picture database, stating it only takes "more than passing contact" with someone already known or a subjective assessment about the way someone is "behaving" to warrant admission.

I wasn't shocked to find myself on the spotter card when it was discovered in 2005 – although I was surprised to find myself at the top of it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for others on the card, many of whom have no criminal records, and have struggled to keep their political lives separate from their professional/family lives. The Guardian's decision to print the spotter card, without permission from those pictured and without blurring their faces is deeply regrettable.

Inclusion on the spotter cards has nothing to do with keeping tabs on domestic extremists and everything to do with harassment. If the police really believe they have grounds to monitor us there are plenty of covert methods at their disposal. In 2005, they didn't need a riot van full of cops to follow myself and my 18-month-old child after meetings. Similarly, in 2004, it was unnecessary to repeatedly use flash photography while I was breastfeeding my son.

Still, we are lucky. My organisation, Fit Watch, was formed in response to more than 10 years of harassment and intimidation of protesters by police forward intelligence teams (Fit), and we, and others have worked hard to expose police misbehaviour – and the policing of these sort of protests is starting to change. Unfortunately other groups are not so lucky. A recent Fit Watch trial centred around our arrest for obstructing Fits who were repeatedly following and photographing a group of young Asian males, who by the police's own admission, had done nothing more than act "as a group" and be "young and male". Although there are damaging consequences for those of us labelled as domestic extremists, at least we are not on a database of potential Islamic terrorists for having the audacity to be angry at the slaughter in Gaza.

It is really important to mark some of the abuses which have happened in the past, and I am glad after so many years of harassment to have a voice. However, it is more important we fight to ensure these abuses do not continue happening to others, and show these practices are not acceptable at any protests.