Photographs © Grant Smith & Marc Vallée

For immediate release.
Event to be held on Tuesday 3rd May, World Press Freedom Day, at City Hall, London SE1 2AA at 12:30.

I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! (PHNAT), the campaign group set up to fight unnecessary and draconian restrictions against individuals taking photographs in public spaces, is organising a flashmob outside London’s City Hall.

The event takes place on World Press Freedom Day and is supported by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) London Photographers’ Branch (LPB).

PHNAT is concerned about the role of private security guards in the prevention of terrorism. Their role has been promoted by police, with the result that many privately employed guards are illegally preventing citizens from taking any photographs at all.

Areas designated as public realm are often privately managed spaces that are subject to rules laid down by the private management companies. Most insidious of these is the outright banning of photography in some of our most widely enjoyed public spaces, such as Canary Wharf and the Thames Walk between Tower Bridge and City Hall.

The mass gathering will highlight the restrictions on street photography in a public space. Photographers are encouraged to bring a tripod.

PHNAT successfully campaigned for the repeal of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (January 2011), however Section 47a has been drafted in by a remedial order to enable police to use stop-and-search powers when a senior police officer reasonably suspects a terrorist action will take place. PHNAT is very concerned that Section 47a will be used against amateur and professional photographers, stopping them taking photographs in public.

An illustrated PHNAT pamphlet will also be launched at the event. Created by PHNAT and LPB members, supported by the NUJ, British Press Photographers Association (BPPA) and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, it will celebrate the history of the PHNAT campaign.

Documentary photographer Marc Vallée, one of the founders of PHNAT said:

The privatisation of public space is impacting on public photography. Private companies, with the backing of national and local government, are eroding the common law right of the citizen to take a picture in a public place. This is why we will be outside London City Hall on the 3rd May.

One of the organisers of the event, architectural photographer Grant Smith said:

Private security guards are being mandated to control and attempt to prohibit photography from public spaces of private (corporate) buildings. The authority to do this Is illegal and amounts to legitimisation of these security forces to act as law enforcers, without public accountability.

Notes for Editors

I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! Is a campaign run by photographers for anyone who values visual imagery. It was set up in 2009 in response to new terrorism laws preventing the photographing of police officers. In January 2010 it organised a mass photo gathering in Trafalgar Square that attracted over 2,000 photographers from across the country.

Contact

Grant Smith: 077748 39078 / grant@grant-smith.com

http://photographernotaterrorist.org
http://twitter.com/phnat

For Immediate Release

Event: Outside New Scotland Yard, 4 July 2010, 12 Noon.

Yesterday the European Court of Human Rights rejected the Governments appeal to it’s decision in January that ruled Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It follows a series of high profile incidents of police harassing photographers. Last Friday the Metropolitan Police accepted liability and paid compensation for a breach of Article 10 when they prevented photojournalist Marc Vallée and videographer Jason Parkinson from covering a demonstration outside the Greek Embassy in 2008.

On Saturday a 15 year old was stopped photographing army cadets parading in Romford by police claiming they did not need any powers to detain him, he is now taking legal advice about the incident.

And today the Home Office said it was reviewing it’s procedures for photographing people in public order situations as the Financial Times revealed that the police held criminal intelligence reports on people who had not been convicted of any crime. Including Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and Fiyaz Mughal, interfaith and extremism adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Campaigners from the I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! group have called a flashmob outside New Scotland Yard this Sunday 4^th July at 12 noon to celebrate the ECHR ruling and call on the Government to repeal s44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

One of the organisers of Sunday’s flashmob, Jess Hurd said:

For street photographers the battle against the misuse of the terrorism laws has been frustrating and at times absurd.

The abuse of these laws has united amateur and professional in defence of press freedom and civil liberties. We will not be intimidated by these unjust laws that pick on innocent citizens, and criminalise photography.

We urge all those who have been stopped since the original ruling in January to seek legal representation through their respective organisations.

Penny Quinton’s & Kevin Gillan’s victory against s44 in the European Court of Human Rights has been a long struggle for justice, achieved with the support of the NUJ and a committed legal team. It is a major success that should be celebrated across society.

Photographers are organising an ‘Im a Photographer Not a Terrorist’ Flashmob this Sunday, at noon, New Scotland Yard to celebrate our victory and determination not to be harassed by this, or any other law. Please join us.

Notes to Editors

I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! Is a campaign run by photographers for anyone who values visual imagery. It was set up in 2009 in response to new terrorism laws preventing the photographing of police officers. In January it organised a mass photo gathering in Trafalgar Square that attracted over 2,000 photographers from across the country.

Journalists win payout after police admit failing to respect press freedom – The Guardian

Officers claim they don’t need law to stop photographer taking pictures – The Independent

Police use of protest photos will face review – The Financial Times

Judges reject government appeal over stop-and-search – BBC News

Contact

Jess Hurd – 07713 151765

hello@photographernotaterrorist.org

http://PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org

http://twitter.com/phnat

ENDS

For Immediate Release

The use of Stop & Search without grounds for suspicion has been ruled illegal by European Court of Human Rights. This ruling from Strasbourg comes as thousands of photographers are set to gather in London on Saturday 23rd January to take mass action to defend their right to photograph after a series of high profile detentions under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.

These included the detention by seven police of an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering a protest at City Airport and the Stop & Search of a BBC photographer outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

Our society’s visual history is under threat of extinction by anti-terrorism legislation. Section 44 of the Terrorism Act has in effect ended the confidence of the citizen to engage in the act of photography in a public place as photographers, artists and illustrators, amateur and professional are harassed by police invoking terrorism legislation to stop and search them. The act of documenting our street scenes and public life, our built environment, whether iconic or not, is now considered to be an act of hostile reconnaissance and could result in the detention of the image-maker.

The Mass Photo Gathering has been called by the campaign group I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! which has over 11,000 followers on Facebook.

Notes for Editors

I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! Is a campaign run by photographers for anyone who values visual imagery. It was set up in 2009 in response to new terrorism laws preventing the photographing of police officers with a media event attended by hundreds of photographers outside New Scotland Yard.

For more details, see the following links:

http://PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org/events/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Im-a-Photographer-Not-a-Terrorist/128534046017

http://twitter.com/PHNAT

hello@photographernotaterrorist.org

ENDS

Photographers to “Flash-Mob” Canary Wharf – as new campaign for photographers’ rights is launched.

A new campaign for photographers’ rights launched this weekend – with more than two hundred leading photographers showing their support for the PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org website by holding up a placard saying “I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist!” – will help all photographers to understand and uphold their legal right to take photographs.

The campaign will fight for photographers’ rights across the country, opposing police repression and the abuse of anti-terrorism legislation. It will challenge the unreasonable restrictions in pseudo-public spaces such as shopping centres and Canary Wharf.

Anti-Terror Map

The website will map the use across the country of anti-terrorism legislation which can impose prison sentences for simply photographing a police officer and whose wide-ranging draconian powers allow police to stop and search anyone even where there is no reasonable suspicion of terrorism at all.

Stop & Search Bust Card

Also featured on the site will be a ‘bust card’ for photographers that will set out their legal right to take photographs when stopped by police or security staff.

Canary Wharf ‘Flash-mob’

The campaign calls for a National Photographers Flash-Mob of Canary Wharf on 12th September 2009 and is calling for photographers across the country to highlight spaces where photography is unreasonably restricted. The flash-mob action will highlight how heavy handed private security guards are restricting individual liberty and press freedom by preventing photographers from pursuing their hobby or their profession.

The London flash-mob will be 3pm at the Clocks, Canary Wharf, London. Other locations to follow.

ENDS

Notes to editors:
Photos of the campaign launch party are available at: http://PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org/launch-party-photos

Contact

hello@PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org

Jess Hurd – 07713 151 765
Jeff Moore – 07870 209 766

PhotographerNotaTerrorist.org