2,000 UK photographers protest against police stop and search

<p>Thousands of photographers have staged a mass protest in London's Trafalgar Square against the "malicious" use of anti-terrorism laws to stop them taking pictures in public places. More details in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/23/photographers-protest-stop-search-terrorism-police"><strong>this article</strong> </a> .</p>

 

<p>My photos from the day are here: -</p>

<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjmeade/sets/72157623144277035/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjmeade/sets/72157623144277035/</a></p>

<p>You have some very nice portraits there, Peter. How was the mood of the event? Did the police play nicely?</p>

<p>there are some lovely pictures in peter's collection. i particularly like the one called 'looking up' a girl looking up to take a picture with her point and shoot.</p>

The police kept a low profile.

 

At one point a community support officer tried chasing someone and was told off for it by a photographer (there's a shot of

it in the set). But it was all very good natured and as you can see, people were able to photograph each other in peace.

<p>I guess there is strength in numbers, especially when the press is there. If two photographers had tried it, there may have been a different outcome.</p>

<p>It's about time though. Seems like the UK police are even worse than the US police when it comes to harassment of photographers. </p>

<p>Any week end you guys want to march arm in arm, a thousand strong through a suburban NYC mall, clicking our shutters in unison. Count me in.</p>

<p>I think that one guy in the fluorescent vest holding a sign "I am a photographer, not a terrorist" might have been a little more convincing had he not worn that silly mask. Real terrorists often wear something to cover their face. He did not help himself out with that choice</p>

<p>Steve Kirby, that's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta">V for Vendetta</a> mask, from the graphic novels and movie. Amongst other things, to many, it symbolizes the fight against fascism. It's very commonly seen at street protests.</p>

<p><em>The police kept a low profile. </em></p>

<p>Doing otherwise, with thousands of camera's ready to click away, would resonate far beyond the protest itself.</p>

<p><em>It's very commonly seen at street protests.</em></p>

<p>That's an additional problem. Whether observers know about "V for Vendetta" or not, it can cause a perceived association with other protests which are often identified with radical views and rowdy behavior. Not exactly helpful considering the message is to portray photographers as normal, mainstream, law abiding and undeserving of special scrutiny. It seems to have been a positive event, however, because the participants in general showed themselves and their issue as mainstream. Wearing a lot of masks like that would have been ruinous to the event. Steve was right.<em> </em></p>

<p>Would that American photographers had that much courage. This is what happens when you have no actual newspapers and journalists; the newspapers were bought out and destroyed during the Corporate takeover of the American Press in the 1980's, leaving most cities--which previously had multiple , competing newspapers--with just one, non-competing publication. Newspaper unions here vanished. Investigative journalism died, too and those who are left groveled each time the courts demanded the names of their sources, or their interview notes. Today's American media has been totally cowed ; afraid to publish battlefield photos from Iraq and Afghanistan or even to photograph military funerals, betraying journalistic principles . At least in the UK, freedom of the press is more than just a slogan.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Any week end you guys want to march arm in arm, a thousand strong through a suburban NYC mall, clicking our shutters in unison. Count me in.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Sorry Steve, that's illegal. Malls have a perfect right to restrict photography. It's private property and if you want to be there you are required to play by their rules.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Photographers_rights_protest_Home_Office_statement_update_130pm_news_294171.html">There's no change yet though.</a></p>

<blockquote>

<p>Whether observers know about "V for Vendetta" or not...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It's not about comic book knowledge - the face on that mask is the face of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes">Guy Fawkes</a> - it may not be culturally meaningful elsewhere, but it should be in UK.</p>

<p><em>Removed duplicate post.</em></p>

<p>Having now lived for over a decade in two 'communist' countries, I can honestly say that my home country, the UK, has less freedom and is much more of a fascist regime than any other country I've been to. It's funny because you leave there thinking 'communism' is bad and the UK is liberal, because of what the propaganda preaches to you, but (whether communism is or is not bad I'm not saying) what you discover is that all the supposedly bad things elsewhere, are precisely what the UK government support.<br>

I doubt I'll ever return except to visit my family who remain there. I could write pages on my observations of the UK governments repressive actions, but this is yet another liberty removed. They don't realise that it is precisely these types of actions that cause the problems in the first place.</p>

<p>Whats with the "nuns" in whitface?/</p>

<p><strong>Steve Kirby Said:</strong> <br /> <strong>I think that one guy in the fluorescent vest holding a sign "I am a photographer, not a terrorist" might have been a little more convincing had he not worn that silly mask. Real terrorists often wear something to cover their face. He did not help himself out with that choice</strong></p>

<p>Quite on the contrary, real terrorist do not wear masks, their sole purpose it to blend in with the crowd, not to scare them away because otherwise the amount of victims would be less. That's why all those anti terrorist stuff is useless anyway, a terrorist could pass you without you ever knowing it. Either way, it's all fear-mongering, that search and stop stuff has not yielded any result and only wasted valuable resources that could have been used in better ways. It's time that people stop shitting their pants so much and start behaving normal again, that's the only way to counter terrorism. Besides, terrorist do not photograph the places they want to bomb, why should they when they just have to start up the computer and have the whole earth on Google Earth.</p>

<p><em><strong>What's with the "nuns" in whiteface?</strong></em><br>

Why, they were getting themselves photographed of course.<br>

Most people who were there photographed them, the dog with the "I'm a dog not a terrorist" coat, the man smoking the cigar and the people with the big earrings.</p>