What was the police FIT (Forward Intelligence Team) doing at the main gate of the Climate Camp, today?
Dancing with .............police photographers
The work of the FITeam is unpopular in the camp. It is understandable - these large men (presumably, height is seen as an advantage for peering into places where they are not wanted) take photographs of everyone who enters and leaves the camps' boundaries. Most of the activists attending seem to ignore their attentions as they cross the boundaries. Some cover their faces, others cavort at close range in front of the cameras and then move away covering their faces - the generality is that nobody really enjoys it. These large men with their large cameras - and normally with 2 large police officers stationed beside them - flash and click at a group of people inspired by the desire to protect the environment.
They have recieved a great deal of attention aimed at disrupting their surveillance. At the main gate, members of FITWatch (
http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com) put up their arms to prevent the surveillance of police photographers into the bounds of the Climate Camp. Yesterday, a member of FITWatch was arrested (and under the bail terms prevented from entering the camp) for obstructing a police officer. There is an irony here - I watched as another member of the group did, what was clearly, exactly the same thing for more than 4 hours. Police officers were polite, friendly, even jovial. They issued many warnings - on the grounds of personal space; they, at points, pushed the spoiler or used their shoulders to prevent him moving in front of the camera.
At one point, a van arrived - containing 2 adults and 4 children - the police rushed to photograph the adult occupants and the tents, food, and instruments that they were unloading from the van. It was the most violent moment I witnessed - another volunteer tried to follow a police photographer who was attempting to photograph the narrow space between the hedge and the van where the unloading was taken place. A police officer placed between the front of the van and a police car directly in front stepped in front of the woman with arms crossed. As she attempted to move around him, he moved to stop her path shouting "do not touch me". Eventually, she was manoeuvred into the ditch - 2 policeman preventing her from moving. When asked if she could pass - the officer shouted once again, "do not touch me", and then informed her to go another way.
Although, the police were polite, charming at points, and willing to talk - the one topic on which they refused to comment - under what act or legislation, were they permitted to photograph and record people who see themselves as innocent and legally entitled protesters?
They have recieved a great deal of attention aimed at disrupting their surveillance. At the main gate, members of FITWatch (
http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com) put up their arms to prevent the surveillance of police photographers into the bounds of the Climate Camp. Yesterday, a member of FITWatch was arrested (and under the bail terms prevented from entering the camp) for obstructing a police officer. There is an irony here - I watched as another member of the group did, what was clearly, exactly the same thing for more than 4 hours. Police officers were polite, friendly, even jovial. They issued many warnings - on the grounds of personal space; they, at points, pushed the spoiler or used their shoulders to prevent him moving in front of the camera. At one point, a van arrived - containing 2 adults and 4 children - the police rushed to photograph the adult occupants and the tents, food, and instruments that they were unloading from the van. It was the most violent moment I witnessed - another volunteer tried to follow a police photographer who was attempting to photograph the narrow space between the hedge and the van where the unloading was taken place. A police officer placed between the front of the van and a police car directly in front stepped in front of the woman with arms crossed. As she attempted to move around him, he moved to stop her path shouting "do not touch me". Eventually, she was manoeuvred into the ditch - 2 policeman preventing her from moving. When asked if she could pass - the officer shouted once again, "do not touch me", and then informed her to go another way.
Although, the police were polite, charming at points, and willing to talk - the one topic on which they refused to comment - under what act or legislation, were they permitted to photograph and record people who see themselves as innocent and legally entitled protesters?
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FIT on the Met
16.08.2007 23:26
"Metropolitan Police web search: no matches were found for 'intelligence'"
Dow Jones