Baroness of Moulsecoomb on police database of “domestic extremists”

The Baroness of Moulsecoomb has criticised police chiefs who recorded her political activity on a secret database set up to track campaigners deemed to be “domestic extremists”.

Official files show Scotland Yard kept a log of the political movements of Jenny Jones, a London assembly member and Green Party peer, over an 11-year period.

It was included in a database to monitor activists who could use criminal methods to promote their political aims.

This is despite Baroness Jones, who took up a place in the House of Lords last year, not having a criminal record.

The Guardian reports Jones said she had never been arrested, and all the information on her related to her work as an elected politician.

She added the monitoring was unjustified and not a good use of police resources.

According to reports, police started recording the political activities of Jones, and a fellow Green party member Ian Driver, after they had been elected to office.

During this time, the Baroness sat on the official committee scrutinising the Metropolitan police and stood to be London’s mayor.

The files refer repeatedly to the elected positions the pair have occupied.

It also records a tweet she sent about possible police tactics at a pro-cycling protest, as well as details of public meetings she spoke at on issues such as police violence and cuts in public spending.

The information was obtained under data protection laws.

The domestic extremism unit, run by Scotland Yard, claims to have been monitoring thousands of political activists in order to identify the hardcore minority who have broken, or are about to break, the law during protests.