Domestic extremist campaigns
Domestic extremist campaigns involve the use criminal actions as a campaigning tactic.
Campaigns by single-issue protesters tend to start with lawful, non-threatening actions. This can include letter-writing, demonstrations, leafleting and civil disobedience.
In a domestic extremist campaign, these tactics escalate into unlawful activity. This can include trespass, malicious communications, criminal damage and even assault.
The purpose of a domestic extremist campaign is to force change by creating a climate of fear through harassment, intimidation and criminal activity.
As a result, domestic extreme crime is often a series of linked crimes. The crime series is likely to be geographically spread – across several police force boundaries – and committed by the same person or groups of people.
Domestic extremist campaigns are most commonly associated with the activities of animal rights extremists (ARE). However, other groups in the UK and abroad are adopting similar tactics.
Targets
Domestic extremists do not only target the organisation that is the focus of the campaign – the 'primary' target.
As part of the campaign, protesters will also target customers, suppliers, contractors, sub-contractors and service providers. They will also target individual employees and their families, friends and neighbours at home and in their communities. This is known as 'secondary' and 'tertiary' targeting.
As a result, there is a large number of people, organisations and locations vulnerable to domestic extremist crime.
