A pro-Palestine activist group has vandalised the headquarters of Policy Exchange in Westminster, marking the third time the think tank has been targeted.
The latest attack, carried out by the radical network Shut the System on Thursday night, caused substantial damage to the premises.
In a statement, the perpetrators linked the assault to Policy Exchange’s stance on Palestine Action, which was designated a terrorist organisation earlier this year.
David Spencer, head of Crime and Justice at Policy Exchange and a former Detective Chief Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, issued a strong condemnation.
“We have seen that Shut the System are prepared to use violence to undermine parliamentary democracy with outrageous attacks such as this,” he said. “We are committed to a vibrant market of ideas and Policy Exchange will not be intimidated by acts of sabotage and terrorism.”
He called the attack “a criminal act that should be condemned across the political spectrum by both Left and Right” and urged the government to act against “this act of terrorism.”
Earlier this week, a separate group called Palestinian Martyrs for Justice claimed responsibility for an assault on the Moog Aircraft Group facility in Wolverhampton, where four arrests were made following significant damage to the site.
The think tank has recently published several reports, one exposing the Centre for Media Monitoring’s efforts to shape media guidelines on Islam, and another highlighting concerns over sentencing guidelines.
