LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 28.10.08. National Union of Journalists’ general secretary Jeremy Dear standing outside the Home Office after a meeting with Vernon Coaker MP the Minister of State responsible for policing, crime and security on Tuesday 28th October 2008 London, England. The union raised a number of specific issues during the meeting including the obstruction of journalists in their work – in contravention of guidelines already agreed between news organisations and the authorities – as well as the routine surveillance of journalists by the police. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Home Office pledges to improve police relations with the press” – National Union of Journalists.

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.08.08. The audience at the ‘Khilafah for Britain’ conference watch an address by Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed from Lebanon in London, England on Friday 15th August 2008. The right-wing Islamists group “Islam For The UK” who organized the conference want to bring Islamic law to Britain. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Extremists to be barred from UK” – BBC News.

“Smith strengthens rules on banning extremists” – The Guardian.

“Foreign preachers of hate to be banned from UK” – Daily Telegraph.

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.08.08. A conference held under the slogan ‘Khilafah for Britain’ is addressed by Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed the former leader of Al Muhajiroun from Lebanon via an internet link in London, England on Friday 15th August 2008. The right-wing Islamists group “Islam For The UK” who organized the conference campaigns to bring Islamic law to Britain. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 25.10.08. Jean Charles de Menezes’ mother Maria Otone de Menezes attends a protest outside 10 Downing Street, Whitehall on Saturday 25th October 2008. Maria Otone de Menezes joined family members and supporters of United Families and Friends who demand justice for those who have been killed in police custody, prisons and mental health institutions. There have been 182 deaths in custody over the past year. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

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Today we hand over the Blog to photojournalist Guy Smallman on his very personal account of a visit to the accident and emergency room at a Kabul hospital in Afghanistan last month.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – September 2008. Photojournalist Guy Smallman being treated at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan September 2008.  Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman 2008.  (c) Guy Smallman 2008.

“I got injured on a shoot in Afghanistan.”  Sounds dramatic, but the reality was actually quite mundane.  Our car slid of a gravel road in one of Kabul’s suburbs.  A back-wheel drive, the rear right hand tyre was spinning in a pothole unable to get the grip required to move the vehicle forward.  So we kicked a selection of rocks and pebbles into the hole and got behind to push.  As the driver hit the gas the wheel spun one of the rocks straight into my shin and in a moment my trousers, trainer and sock were covered in claret pissing out of a deep cut.

Ghani my interpreter insisted that we go to a local hospital to get the wound properly cleaned and stitched.  I needed little persuasion after he went on to say that infections here often led to amputation.

A jovial Afghan Doctor commended my bravery as he snipped some fatty tissue from the wound and deep cleaned it with iodine solution.  I pointed out through Ghani that my failure to register any pain was due to the massive nerve damage sustained to my leg on a job in 2003.  The Doctor surveyed the 5 year old blast injury to the rear of my calf and asked if I got it here? Or maybe somewhere like Palestine? Or Iraq?  I then had to explain that I was blown off my feet in Switzerland by a Police concussion grenade while covering an anti G8 protest.

Immediately I became the laughing stock of Kabul A&E as the nurses, porters and even some of the other patients relatives filed through my room to laugh at the funny Englishman who got injured by an explosion in a country that has been at peace for 500 years.  As if I didn’t already have enough reasons to hate the cops in Geneva…

Note: And back in the UK Guy bitten by a police attack dog which required medical attention when covering a protest last week.

“NUJ reports to parliament on police obstruction” – National Union of Journalists.

Today I and two other journalists attended the Joint Committee on Human Rights at Portcullis House to watch Jeremy Dear the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists give evidence about police surveillance and harassment of journalists and photographers.  A great deal of the evidence he presented came from the work we had done and from experiences we have had over the last few years when dealing with the police when working.  It was a very interesting experience to watch all of this being presented in this way and in this context.

To watch the proceedings for yourself click here.

Not all of the committee meeting is shown in this footage but it’s worth watching the whole of the film that is available online.  For me the most interesting part is about 22 minutes in and then a few minutes later when Baroness Stern asks Jeremy Dear more about the police surveillance and harassment of journalists and photographers.

The following people and organizations also gave evidence to the committee on the issue of Policing and Protest.  Andrew Gay (Huntingdon Life Sciences), Richard D. North (Social Affairs),  Phil McLeish (Climate Camp), Lindis Percy (Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases) and Milan Rai (Justice not Vengeance).

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 02.05.08. A civilian police photographer films and photographs working journalists outside City Hall on Friday 2 May 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Jeremy Dear the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists has been invited to give evidence this Tuesday to the Joint Committee on Human Rights about police surveillance and harassment of journalists and photographers.  The committee consists of members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and is charged with considering human rights issues in the UK. 

The NUJ has a huge amount of evidence to present.

BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.10.08. Police and anti-arms campaigners clash as campaigners march against the weapons hardware manufacturer EDO in Brighton, England on Wednesday 15th October 2008. Campaigners claim that the company makes bomb release mechanisms for British and American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Police if full riot gear used batons, pepper-spray and dogs in violent clashes with protesters. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Anti-arms demo erupts into violence” – The Argus.

Link: Click here to view more protest pictures.

Clients: Pictures are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.

BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.10.08. A protester holds up a “Make Love, Not War” postcard with an image of two man having sex on it in front of a line of riot police on a march against the weapons hardware manufacturer EDO in Brighton, England on Wednesday 15th October 2008. Campaigners claim that the company makes bomb release mechanisms for British and American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Police if full riot gear used batons, pepper-spray and dogs in violent clashes with protesters. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.10.08. Photojournalist Marc Vallée is filmed by an officer of the Police Foward Intelligence Team, before a protest is due to begin on Wednesday 15th October 2008 Brighton, England.  Published here by kind permission of Jonathan Warren 2008.  (c) Jonathan Warren 2008.

Documentary Photographer Jonathan Warren writes,

“Despite claims that Police Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT) do not target journalists, photojournalist Marc Vallée and another photographer were filmed whilst waiting for a protest to begin yesterday in Brighton.

“Police started filming journalists sitting in the car from across the road before coming over to ask what they were doing.  After identifying themselves as journalists Police continued to film and question the two journalists.

“Separately when the two photographers left the car and stood under the covering of a railway station to shelter from the rain whilst they waited for the protest to begin Police told them that they would have to move and weren’t allowed to photograph near the station where protesters would be arriving.

“Later, two journalists were also assaulted by police, Marc Vallée was pushed back violently as he was photographing protesters before the march began and Guy Smallman was bitten by a police attack dog when the protest had reached it’s destination.”

More on this will be posted over the next few days.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 11.10.08. An anti-surveillance activist wearing a mask stands outside New Scotland Yard on Saturday 11th October 2008. A broad movement of anti-surveillance activists protested outside the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in an international day of action against excessive surveillance by police, governments and businesses. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“The all-seeing state is about to end privacy as we know it” -  The Guardian.

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 10.10.08. A young male anti-capitalist protester dressed up as a banker/robber outside the Bank of England, London, England on Friday 10th October 2008 (Black Friday). Hundreds of students and activists clashed with police while trying to force their way into the Royal Exchange shopping mall and the Bank of England. The protest was called in response to the UK government’s multi-billion pound bailout of the British banking system. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Protestors, police clash outside Bank of England” – International Herald Tribune.

Link: Click here to view more protest pictures.

Clients: Pictures are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.