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Gaza Demo: Police violence and media under-reporting

Angelos | 13.01.2009 18:51 | Analysis | Palestine | Social Struggles | World

Sadly all British Media contributed to both the under-representation and misrepresentation of the Gaza protest in London last Saturday the 10th of January. Not only they failed to criticise the obvious fiasco of the metropolitan police who positioned barriers on the pavements leaving no way out to the crowd when anti-riot officers pushed in, they also refused repeatedly to publish photographs depicting the unjustified attack of anti-riot officers against protesters, freelancers and passers by.

Anti-riot cops facing the crowd
Anti-riot cops facing the crowd

Situation worsens as officers launch an attack
Situation worsens as officers launch an attack

Elder protester being attacked by erratic police officer
Elder protester being attacked by erratic police officer

Police officer proud of his job
Police officer proud of his job

Protester in shock unable to explain the presence of anti-riot officers.
Protester in shock unable to explain the presence of anti-riot officers.

Anti-riot officers is threatening protesters
Anti-riot officers is threatening protesters

Situation out of control
Situation out of control

Anti-riot officers breaking in
Anti-riot officers breaking in

feels "good" to be an anti-riot officer
feels "good" to be an anti-riot officer

Anti-riot police shows no mercy and attacks crowd
Anti-riot police shows no mercy and attacks crowd

Not even sit down is allowed
Not even sit down is allowed

Officer using flash photography to record protesters
Officer using flash photography to record protesters

Protesters suffocating while trapped between cops breaking in and barriers
Protesters suffocating while trapped between cops breaking in and barriers


The only images printed from Saturday in UK where of angry protesters burning flags or throwing their shoes- the acts of a small minority of an otherwise peaceful protest. Surprisingly not, the Sunday pro Israeli protest in Trafalgar Square received a generous media coverage succeeding only to re-produce the good and bad stereotype. From my experience of the Saturday protest as a protester and freelance photographer I want to express my discontent about the dangerous actions of the police whose presence only was a reason for anxiety and anger among the crowd. Lastly, I wonder if police experiment using flash photography to capture images of protesters under new anti-terrorist law constitute a flagrant assault on democratic rights and civil liberties?

Below is photo report of the events that took place on the north entrance (Kensington Palace Gardens) to the Israeli embassy that strongly suggests the crowd was heavily charged and the protest aggressively policed.

Angelos
- e-mail: angelosrallis@hotmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.arallis.co.uk

Comments

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seriously !!!

13.01.2009 19:14

just goes to show that some people only want to see and write what they want, " POLICE ATTACK GROWD", i didnt see any officer attacking a crowd i saw officers being attacked with paint, batteries, coins, fireworks i could go on, the only reason riot police were deployed was that a minority of the protestors, who proberly dont even know where gaza and israel are, let alone why there is a conflict, joined the march to have a go at the police and society as a whole as they have noting else to do in their small closed world.

patriot

PHOTO RESIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

13.01.2009 19:15

ITS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE............. especially for a 'photographer'

Bob

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Stupid Patriot

13.01.2009 20:02

The dork who made the first comment doesn't know how to read between the lines or see action implied between shots. EG. the cop with the truncheon high above his head, obviously about to bring it down on somebody. Cameras by definition take a 'still' and not all the action, which the photographer filled in with his comments. Fuck the police.

FUck Patriotism

Re-Fucking-size before posting

13.01.2009 20:20

Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,
Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please,Please
resize before posting pictures.

This is getting fucking annoying on Indymedia. Maybe some instructions for guidance would be useful. Even on my fast Broadband these take ages to load god help those with slow connections.

Ron

Media excitement

13.01.2009 21:57

Great photos!

I think at any demo where it seriously kicks off the media would go for that angle as it's the sensationalist factor.When the cuntryside all-liars had their march/riot the media printed mostly the pics of the violence.

Could people on here be a bit more friendly to one another and not post things like "Re-Fucking-size before posting". The guy's in the thick of it getting pics and then posts them, probably from his hospiltal bed typing with his nose (as the cops broke his arms)...maybe!

Ruby

Photo resize plz!

13.01.2009 22:17

Do you honestly think they were going to just let you walk in? Hmmm me thinks not.

loppy

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

indymedia upload...

13.01.2009 23:03

Agree the oversized images are getting pretty annoying on Indymedia. I'm not sure how much development goes on with the site behind the scenes but it would be relatively simple to place a conditional to all image uploads i.e. if over 800px, image size= ... Would be a little complex to get perfect, but even if it resized the photos in a slightly strange way it'd be infinitely preferable to the current system. Also, can we have a preview screen between uploading stuff and actually posting it (it'd have the added advantage that people would see if their photos were oversized!)

yu

Not Surprising

13.01.2009 23:33

You honestly did not expect objective media coverage did you?

The zionists positioned their liars on every channel as the bombs started to drop on Gaza. The only reason the Iraq war march got any publicity was when the numbers were the largest gathering ever in the UK. There were plenty of large marches prior to the BIG march but hardly a mention on the news channels.

BBC/CNN/FOX/ITN all zionist mouthpiece.

Bastards!

Protestor

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