Comments on: Mass Photo Gathering

By: I'm A Photographer, Not A Terrorist — Everything Hurts

I'm A Photographer, Not A Terrorist — Everything Hurts — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:47:51 +0000

[...] photographers will be making a stand at Trafalgar Square for a mass gathering in defence of street photography. Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed [...]

By: kate

kate — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:01:52 +0000

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/5024297.Police_used_terror_legislation_to_stop_ex_RAF_engineer_in__Kidlington/

Disquieting piece of footage over at the Oxford Times site. Stephen Russell, in his late 50s, was on a trip to buy fish and chips in Kidlington High Street when he spotted police swarming around. He had his camera with him and took four photos because it was unusual to see so much action in the village.

An officer wrongly demanded the ex-RAF engineer delete the photos. Mr Russell rightly refused – it is not illegal to photograph police in a public place.

He was then searched using powers under Section 43 of the Terrorism Act,.

He recorded the incident. Go and watch the footage. It’s simply astonishing. Amongst other things, the fool of a bullying, overbearing policeman said, to a law-abiding member of the public who had done nothing wrong

You are a stranger in Kidlington – tell me who you are – what is your reason for being here

On what possible basis was any of that asked? We don’t live in a country in which the police can demand our papers, to state our business. Moreover, just look at the way this oaf treats a palpably honest and reasonable member of the public. The domineering “I’m in charge, you justify yourself to me” attitude is typical of the way that the police are working very hard to lose the confidence of the law-abiding majority, who no longer feel that they’re on our side.

Moreover, what absurd bit of self-serving sophistry – total dishonesty, really – to use Terrorism Act powers to search this man. He was very, very obviously not a terrorist. It is behaviour like this that undermines belief in the government’s terror agenda and shows that powers such as these can’t be given to officers, because they abuse them. The officer should now be required to justify his use of Terrorism Act powers in this case and if he can’t, then he should be disciplined.

By: Ted

Ted — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:56:18 +0000

Even more:

“Mall security guard accuses shopper of being a paedophile for photographing his own son”

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/24/mall-security-guard.html

(It would be great if the webmaster could make a compilation about all these incidents.)

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:05:20 +0000

Don’t believe political leaders or senior police officiers who claim that this abuse will stop. Unaccountable police officiers still abuse their powers: Just look at this:

“Photographer films his own ‘anti-terror’ arrest”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/21/photographer-films-anti-terror-arrest

The totalitarian state is getting closer and closer.

By: John

John — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:25:57 +0000

Sorry I couldn’t make the demo but here’s my contribution to the cause.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28178879@N06/sets/72157623323627758/

Keep up the fight!

By: kombizz

kombizz — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:05:35 +0000

http://www.pbase.com/image/121534307

By: Colin Hall

Colin Hall — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:57:03 +0000

Sorry I’m late to add something to this thread. Where would our society be without street photography? No Henri Cartier-Bresson, No Paul Strand … No Eugene Atget … I’d rather slit my wrists than live in a world of government led creative clampdown. Maybe it’s time to use the devious methods of 1930′s crime photographers again

By: Duncan Smith

Duncan Smith — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:06:23 +0000

it was a great event and thanks to those who made it happen, if needs to be done again I will be there!

Got some great pics on the day http://www.flickr.com/photos/funkygb/

By: AJ

AJ — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:06:13 +0000

Congrats to all who attended and the event organisers.
Excellent awareness and publicity created.
Have you seen the Daily Mail today? Now they are stopping children’s TV presenters carrying hairdryers, this won’t have done them any favours!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246151/ITVs-Toonattik-presenters-Anna-Williamson-Jamie-Rickers-stopped-anti-terror-police-carrying-HAIRDRYERS.html

By: Ken Kaminesky

Ken Kaminesky — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:03:01 +0000

Congrats to all who attended. We need to do more of these demonstrations to increase public awareness. I just returned from Paris, Barcelona and Rome and was stopped countless times for no reason by both police and private security. Rome in particular needs a demonstration, I’d suggest at the Spanish Steps. Bring tripods as well, for some reason the cops feels that tripods are more of a threat than just about any other object in creation.

Keep up the great work!