British police ask public to report anarchists

LONDON Spotted an anarchist? Call the cops.That appears to be the instruction from a unit of Britain's anti-terrorist police, which has asked shopkeepers and members of the public to report information about anarchists.

The advice appears in a newsletter from the "counter terrorist focus desk" in the central London district of Westminster.Police blame anarchists for violence that erupted during recent protests against government spending cuts. Small groups of masked protesters have broken away from large demonstrations to spray graffiti and smash windows.

But anarchists said Monday they were being unfairly targeted. Andy Meinke of anarchist publisher Freedom Press says police should "arrest people for committing crimes, and not for what they believe."