On World Press Freedom Day 2011, photographers and PHNAT supporters converged on London’s City Hall to highlight the harassment of photographers by security guards on privately owned but publicly accessible areas of London and hand our letter in to the Mayor. As well as the photographs and interview in the original article we want to share this video report of the action courtesy of Videojournalist Jason N Parkinson:
Image: Jess Hurd
Over the last few months we’ve been working on a pamphlet that celebrates the history of the I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! campaign. We’re now proud to invite you all to it’s launch at the AoP Gallery at 7pm on the 14th June with free refreshments kindly sponsored by ING Media.
The pamphlet entitled I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! – A brief History is fully illustrated over 20-pages, written by the campaign’s founders and organisers and will be available for free at the event. It is available to download (PDF) or you can request a free copy by sending a double stamped self-addressed envelope to Photographer Not a Terrorist, 308-312 Gray’s Inn Rd, London WC1X 8DP.
We’re indebted to the National Union of Journalists and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom who have funded the production of the pamphlet. Also to the London Photographers’ Branch and British Press Photographers’ Association who have supported the pamphlet.
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
Photographs © Grant Smith & Marc Vallée
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.
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.
There was a great turnout at the Victory Flashmob on Sunday with around 60 of us happily snapping away, free from police harassment. We’ve rounded up some of the coverage from the flashmob below, post a link in the comments if we’ve missed anyone out.
Images © Jonathan Warren, Jess Hurd & Marc Vallée 2010
Photographers ‘flashmob’ Scotland Yard over terrorism law – Amateur Photographer
Yesterday the European Court of Human Rights rejected the governments appeal to its decision in January that ruled Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Although the Home Office has said it is still considering how the ruling affects the law and the police will continue to use it. It’s possible that any Stop & Search under s44 since 12th January 2010 will be open to legal challenge, so hang on to any receipts.
Unfortunately there are still a swathe of laws that police use to harass photographers, most notably s43, which is similar to s44 but requires an officer to suspect that you are a terrorist and s76 which makes it illegal to ‘elicit information about a police officer’ which includes photographing them.
In the meantime we’re going back to the place where our campaign started, outside New Scotland Yard. We’ll be gathering at 12 noon, this Sunday 4th July (Independence Day!) Come along and lets celebrate a little more freedom for photographers.
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
hello@photographernotaterrorist.org
ENDS
I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! invite all Photographers to a mass photo gathering in defence of street photography.
Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed police detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others. PHNAT feels now is the time for a mass turnout of Photographers, professional and amateur to defend our rights and stop the abuse of the terror laws.
And thanks to the lovely people at Spreadshirt there’s now free shipping on everything in our shop with the promo code 23JAN. So go buy a hoodie or 3!
You can use the Twitter hashtag #mpg to follow what’s going on and Flickr users can tag their photos with this Upcoming Event by adding the tag: upcoming:event=4903212 to your photos.
London, UK
For Immediate Release
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