A local anarchist group is accusing Hamilton police of trying to criminalize political activism by suggesting its annual book fair is a potential source of hate crimes.

Alex Diceanu, treasurer of Common Cause, said he’s outraged to learn that the event was earmarked for active monitoring during a presentation on hate crimes at this month’s Hamilton police services board meeting.

The book fair, scheduled for June 6 at Westdale Secondary School, includes workshops on topics like environmental justice, workplace organizing, and Palestinian and First Nations struggles against colonialism.

It also features a kids’ workshop “organized by and for children,” according to a website publicizing the fair, which drew about 300 people last year.

Anarchism is a type of socialism where workers, rather than the state or a political party, run their own affairs.

“It would be laughable if it wasn’t also disturbing because I think to us this feels like it’s an attempt to criminalize the movement in some ways,” Mr. Diceanu said of the police attention.

“It’s outrageous that they would see the book fair as a potential site of hate crimes. Anarchism in general has always been at the forefront of the fight against racism, sexism and all other forms of oppression.”

Concerns about the fair came as police this year for the first time included political activities in their annual hate-crimes report.

Besides the book fair, the report flags potential local protests on native land claims and “environmental, poverty, public debt and homelessness issues” coinciding with the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and next year’s G8 Summit in Huntsville.

Acting Sergeant Michael Goch, who drafted the report, said he also investigates extremism and political activism and wanted to advise police board members “where some resources may need to be deployed.”

The book fair was included among “potential incidents that could occur in our city,” he said, acknowledging last year’s event didn’t raise any concerns and his research so far suggests there won’t be any problems this year either.

“If there’s resources needed, we’ll deploy them. I’m just notified when these incidents come up and I just put it down as, this is what’s happening in Hamilton 2009, just so that we’re aware,” Acting Sgt. Goch said.

“I’m not saying all anarchists have issues. They seem to have quite a few good causes, but I think we get involved with it if it does involve violence and criminal acts.”

He said he likely should have separated his report to the board into two parts to make clear political activism isn’t a hate or other crime by itself.

Hate crimes, by definition, are ones committed “against a person or property which is motivated solely, or in part, by the suspect’s hate/bias against a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability group, age or gender.”

“Protesting is not a crime,” Acting Sgt. Goch said. “It’s when there’s incidents of violence and community issues that the police service has to get involved.”

But Mr. Diceanu said his group will be contacting its allies because he fears the police attention will have a chilling effect on political dissent.

“We work with groups from the queer community, the women’s movement, labour unions. I think this is going to be a concern to all of them,” he said. “They might come after anarchists now, but who’s next?”