MI5 and Anarchists

[Kevbad the Bad]

A friend of mine tells me that MI5 are going to monitor the activities of anarchists because of the risk of terrorism. The only thing I could find online was an article in the Times (boo) saying how the greatest threat was from Islamists and the far right, but you just never know what those wacky anarchists might get up to, so it's best to keep an eye on them. Anyone else heard this?
Weird thing is, I'd always assumed that MI5, or Special Branch, or somebody, did this monitoring anyway. So really, what's the big deal?
Or have I missed summat?

 

[ska invita]

this is the article:

MI5 officers will investigate for the first time left-wing anarchists who are feared to be planning terrorist attacks.

The security service will make inquiries into “single-issue terrorism” a part of its new remit in charge of domestic terrorism.

Whitehall sources emphasised that the left-wing anarchist threat was a “tiny fraction” of cases compared with Islamist and far-right extremism. The number of cases is expected to be in single digits each year.

Earlier this year MI5 took over the lead from police in combating domestic terrorism because of the increased threat posed by extreme right-wing fanatics.

The BBC said yesterday that the agency had been reorganised to help it to deal with the threat. It reported that investigators from a single, large team would tackle Islamist, far-right or other domestic threats.


This year a man in his 30s from West Yorkshire was charged with 14 offences in connection with alleged left-wing terrorism. They included possessing documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. About two thirds of MI5’s caseload is devoted to investigating Islamist terrorist plots, the far right and other domestic extremism cases.
The vast majority of them are related to the Islamist threat, although MI5 and police have expressed concern about the rise of the far right in recent years.
Another 20 per cent is dedicated to northern Ireland and the remainder to hostile states such as Russia. A security source said that there were challenges in combating the far right that were distinct from Islamist terrorists.
“There are a lot of young members of the movement who are hard to track,” the source said. “Their groups are very shortlived. With jihadist plots there is one big unifying ideology but the far right are simply haters and it’s very hard to work out where that will go in a single case.”
-----------------------
anarchist clickbait?

 

[emanymton]

I'd be surprised if they were not already monitoring them. Mainly just by reading websites signing up for newsletters that sort of thing.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

For example, a map or a train timetable.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

“For the first time” lol.

David Shayler was pretty clear MI5 were monitoring anarchists in the 1990s and it would seem a bit of a dereliction of duty for them not to be checking out insurrectionist currents from the 1960s onwards.

 

[emanymton]

Documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

For example, a map or a train timetable.

Quite tight to. Having paper copies instead of just using your phone is very suspicious. What are they trying to hide?

 

[Pickman's model]

“For the first time” lol.

David Shayler was pretty clear MI5 were monitoring anarchists in the 1990s and it would seem a bit of a dereliction of duty for them not to be checking out insurrectionist currents from the 1960s onwards.

See eg the Christie file, where box errand boys the special branch follow his every move

 

[Pickman's model]

Quite tight to. Having paper copies instead of just using your phone is very suspicious. What are they trying to hide?

Cans of beer and small bottles of spirits

 

[danny la rouge]

Documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

For example, a map or a train timetable.

Aye, I was wondering that too. I suppose there are a great many documents in my flat that are likely to be useful to any number of nefarious people.

 

[fishfinger]

I've got a can of tuna and several cans of soup in the cupboard. Should I be worried?

 

[danny la rouge]

I've got a can of tuna and several cans of soup in the cupboard. Should I be worried?

If they’re likely to be useful, just hand yourself in now.

 

[danny la rouge]

Mind you, I also have loads of documents that are unlikely to be of any use to anyone. I wonder if you can build a defence based on ratios. There are definitely far more useless bits of paper than anything else round here.

 

[brogdale]

Documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

For example, a map or a train timetable.

I'm fucked if they look in my front room cupboard, then.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

“For the first time” lol.

David Shayler was pretty clear MI5 were monitoring anarchists in the 1990s and it would seem a bit of a dereliction of duty for them not to be checking out insurrectionist currents from the 1960s onwards.

The whole Spycops enquiry is showing what we all suspected anyway, that there has been widespread surveillance, infiltration and provocation going back years. So yeah, why "for the first time?"

 

[ska invita]

The whole Spycops enquiry is showing what we all suspected anyway, that there has been widespread surveillance, infiltration and provocation going back years. So yeah, why "for the first time?"

I think because before Spycops it was officially " the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) " who did the work, not MI5 ?? Id guess the shift is a result of the inquiry?

 

[cantsin]

this is the article:

MI5 officers will investigate for the first time left-wing anarchists who are feared to be planning terrorist attacks.

The security service will make inquiries into “single-issue terrorism” a part of its new remit in charge of domestic terrorism.

Whitehall sources emphasised that the left-wing anarchist threat was a “tiny fraction” of cases compared with Islamist and far-right extremism. The number of cases is expected to be in single digits each year.

Earlier this year MI5 took over the lead from police in combating domestic terrorism because of the increased threat posed by extreme right-wing fanatics.

The BBC said yesterday that the agency had been reorganised to help it to deal with the threat. It reported that investigators from a single, large team would tackle Islamist, far-right or other domestic threats.


This year a man in his 30s from West Yorkshire was charged with 14 offences in connection with alleged left-wing terrorism. They included possessing documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. About two thirds of MI5’s caseload is devoted to investigating Islamist terrorist plots, the far right and other domestic extremism cases.
The vast majority of them are related to the Islamist threat, although MI5 and police have expressed concern about the rise of the far right in recent years.
Another 20 per cent is dedicated to northern Ireland and the remainder to hostile states such as Russia. A security source said that there were challenges in combating the far right that were distinct from Islamist terrorists.
“There are a lot of young members of the movement who are hard to track,” the source said. “Their groups are very shortlived. With jihadist plots there is one big unifying ideology but the far right are simply haters and it’s very hard to work out where that will go in a single case.”
-----------------------
anarchist clickbait?

the old 'possessing a copy the Anarchist Cook Book' crime ?

 

[dylanredefined]

A friend of mine tells me that MI5 are going to monitor the activities of anarchists because of the risk of terrorism. The only thing I could find online was an article in the Times (boo) saying how the greatest threat was from Islamists and the far right, but you just never know what those wacky anarchists might get up to, so it's best to keep an eye on them. Anyone else heard this?
Weird thing is, I'd always assumed that MI5, or Special Branch, or somebody, did this monitoring anyway. So really, what's the big deal?
Or have I missed summat?

Unless you actually an enemy of the state rather than the harmless activists the spy cops were screwing the security services arent going to take more than a casual look.
You are not going to get a flight to a black site unless you planning something violent.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

For example, a map or a train timetable.

A mouldering, 30-yr old copy of "The Anarchist's Cookbook", the edition that made you more likely to blow yourself up, than to blow up anyone else.

 

[Ax^]

even the cookbook had enough self awareness to tell you that you more than likely do more damage to yourself that anyone else

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

It seems that the first political group I was in, the Schools Action Union, was infiltrated by MI5. The next one, Croydon Libertarians, was also infiltrated by the police. This in the early 1970's. It really makes you wonder just how paranoid parts of the establishment were that they wasted so much time and money investigating a bunch of school kids.

 

[mauvais]

I like to think this means that Anarchism plc has got their shit together enough to potentially do some much-needed terrorisms (good afternoon Belmarsh)

However a certain weary cynicism tells me that if anything does get blown up it's far more likely to have been the work of a cell unknowingly 100% populated by undercover police, having failed to properly coordinate, which is ironic at least.

 

[likesfish]

Their were the loons who burnt the army cadet bus.so there are some anarchists who are up for property damage.
If you talk loudly about violent revolution don't act surprised if f the state takes an interest.

 

[Shechemite]

they wasted so much time and money investigating a bunch of school kids.

Have you seen how they behave on busses. Dangerous anarchists if I ever saw one

 

[dylanredefined]

Well after the police have been found that they would rather shag harmless activists than do anything useful.
Guess the spooks have to do it.
Hopefully they are rather better at it.
No idea if there are any dangerous anarchists out there? I guess someone has to check if someone claiming they could plant a bomb is a threat or not.