AN "ERROR of judgement' was to blame for Extinction Rebellion being listed as an "extreme ideology" say counter-terrorism police.

The Guardian reported yesterday that the climate change campaign group, which was founded in Stroud, had been placed in the police guide, which is aimed at stopping young people becoming radicalised.

The campaign group was included in a 12-page guide produced by Counter Terrorism Policing South East entitled 'Safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism'.

Police are now reviewing and recalling the document.

"How dare they," said a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.

"Children up and down the country are desperately fighting for a future. Teachers, grandparents, nurses have been trying their best with loving nonviolence to get politicians and big business to do something about the dire state of our planet.

"And this is how the establishment responds.

"In a world of misinformation, where lies travel faster than the truth, we can’t help but wonder was this a deliberate attempt to silence a legitimate cause. Wouldn’t it be nice if they focused on the real extremists, the fossil fuel companies and those that do their bidding?"

DCS Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East said in a statement: "I would like to make it quite clear that we do not classify Extinction Rebellion as an extremist organisation.

"The inclusion of Extinction Rebellion in this document was an error of judgement and we will now be reviewing all of the contents as a result.

"It was produced by CTPSE to assist our statutory partners - including police forces and government organisations - in identifying people who may (be) vulnerable as a result of their links to some organisations."

The document was "designed for a very specific audience who understand the complexities of the safeguarding environment we work within and who have statutory duties under Prevent" added DCS Barnes.

"We as Counter Terrorism Policing, along with our partners, have a responsibility to protect vulnerable people. Officers are trained to spot those who may be vulnerable, and the membership of an organisation that supports environmental or animal welfare issues alone would not be a trigger."