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Photographers Not Terrorists

Peter Marshall | 24.01.2010 16:36 | Repression

Around 2000 photographers gathered in Trafalgar Square, London today, Saturday 23 Jan, 2010, to protest at the harassment of people taking photographs by police, and in particular their abuse of powers under the Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Pictures (C) Peter Marshall, 2010, all rights reserved.

The mini placard
The mini placard

A young photographer gets a camera on her cheek
A young photographer gets a camera on her cheek

Some of the organisers
Some of the organisers

Anonymous Freedom Warden
Anonymous Freedom Warden

Group portrait
Group portrait

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Vigilance Committee at work
Vigilance Committee at work


As well as perhaps two thousand people of all ages taking pictures, the event was also enlivened by several pieces of street theatre, including the Vigilance Committee with a man on stilts wearing a number of CCTV cameras accompanied by a male and female vigilance officer, who picked on individuals and questioned them, taking their fingerprints before finding them guilty and sentencing them to a choice of six years hard labour or contributing to the Vigilance Committee. Three Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence also came along and added a little colour (or pallor) to the event.

A BBC News reporter, standing in the middle of a crowd of experienced journalists used to recording large events was howled down after giving a report in which he gave the number attending the protest as "three hundred." Clearly there were at least 1500 taking part, although others estimated 2-3000. It was not a good advertisement for the competence or impartiality of the BBC who appear to have a policy of playing down dissent; their reported numbers for other events I have attended have also at times been laughably low.

The event organisers had not applied for permission to hold the event and it would have been illegal, but I was told that it seemed the authorities had put in an application on their behalf without informing them.

A longer report with more pictures is on Demotix:
 http://www.demotix.com/news/229071/photographers-not-terrorists
and I'll put more pictures on My London Diary later.

Peter Marshall
- e-mail: petermarshall@cix.co.uk
- Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Well done

24.01.2010 23:12

but didn't the Space Hijackers get done for 'impersonating police officers' at the G20 with as farcical a police uniform as the Vigilance crew?

Hopefully shows that Metplod is still on the back foot regarding peaceful protest and human rights.

Well done the photogs for standing up for Freedom of Expression and their essential role as the Fourth Estate.

Harris Meant


How about organising a mass photo shoot in central London?

25.01.2010 15:00

How about organisng a mass photo shoot in central London where hundreds of photographers will gather to take photos of famous buildings as currently when they do this they are routinly stopped and questioned by police who check to see they are not terrorists on a reconasense mission photographing potential targets for terrorism.

Activist


Mass photography shoot-out

25.01.2010 15:56

Flashpoint 2010: Mass Photography Shoot Out - Jan 30 12pm - meet at the London eye

See:  http://london.indymedia.org/events/4156 for more info

DW


er

25.01.2010 16:20

May I just ask, how are the police ment to know which is terrorism and which is just snapping without asking?

silly question I know but it struck me as a little obvious.

As far as I know the PIRA, Alfred Quida and friends dont tent to have little stickers saying "official terrorist" on them.

Me I would prefer to be asked than have mumbi stuff happen to me.

anon