LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 30.12.08. Palestinian protesters demonstrate outside the Israeli Embassy, London, England on Tuesday 30th December 2008. Demonstrators congregated at the Israeli embassy in west London for the third day running to protest against Israeli air-strikes on the Gaza Strip which have killed hundreds including women and children. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 29.12.08. A young Palestinian man holds up a placard at the gates of the Israeli Embassy, London, England on Monday 29th December 2008. Demonstrators congregated at the Israeli embassy in west London for the second day running to protest against Israeli air-strikes on the Gaza Strip which have killed hundreds including women and children. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Link: Click here to view more protest pictures.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 29.12.08. Smoke from a firework thrown at police fills the air as Palestinian protesters demonstrate outside the Israeli Embassy, London, England on Monday 29th December 2008. Demonstrators congregated at the Israeli embassy in west London for the second day running to protest against Israeli air-strikes on the Gaza Strip which have killed hundreds including women and children. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 20.12.08. A boy holds a sign with the words “Shoot me – I’m the future” on it as Greek, Turkish, Kurdish and British activists demonstrate against ‘Police Brutality and State Terrorism’ in Wood Green north London, England on Saturday 20th December 2008. The protest was in solidarity was protests in Greece after two Greek police officers killed a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of protests and general strikes across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 19.12.08. Protesters congregate outside the American Embassy in support of the Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi in London, England on Friday 19th December 2008. The media and anti-war campaign group, Media Workers against the War and the Stop the War Coalition, held a joint protest to call for the release of Muntadar al-Zaidi who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush on an official visit to Iraq. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Iraqi shoe thrower badly beaten in custody, claims brother” – The Guardian.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 14.12.08. A young man is held down by police and arrested as Greek and British protesters demonstrate against police repression in Greece and Britain in east London, England on Sunday 14th December 2008. The protesters congregated outside an east London train station with anti-police banners. Large numbers of police moved in and surrounded the protesters and an unclear number of arrests were made. The protest was part of a European wide campaign of action after Greek police killed a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece and Europe. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 05.07.08. A Metropolitan Police Inspector grabs hold of a working journalists as police clash with a group of anti-G8 activists in Croydon, south London, England on Saturday 5th July 2008. Protesters congregated to protest against the UK Border Agency in Croydon as part of a world wide day of action against the G8 Summit in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Vernon Coaker, the Minister for Security, Counter-terrorism, Crime and Policing in a letter to Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists dated 03 December 2008 has confirmed that photography can be “limited” in public places in “special circumstances”:

‘This may be on the grounds of national security or there may be situations in which the taking of photographs may cause or lead to public order situations or inflame an already tense situation or raise security considerations. Additionally, the police may require a person to move on in order to prevent a breach of the peace or to avoid a public order situation or for the person’s own safety and welfare or for the safety and welfare of others’.

Did Vernon Coaker just make me redundant? More on this over the next few days.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. Greek and British protesters blockade the Greek Embassy in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. The protesters took down the Greek flag from a pole in front of the embassy and set fire to it and raised a red and black anarchist flag in its place. The protest was part of a European wide day of action after two Greek police officers were arrested for killing a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Are the Greek riots a taste of things to come?” – The Independent.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

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

I took the picture above and the two pictures below before the police removed the media from outside the Greek embassy in Holland Park west London on Monday (08.12.08).  The last two pictures at the bottom of this post were taken behind the police lines after we were removed.   One wonders which pictures the police and for that matter the  Greek embassy prefer?  I can tell you the two international media groups that paid me for my labour that day went for the pictures I took before we were removed.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. Greek and British protesters blockade the Greek Embassy in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. The protesters took down the Greek flag from a pole in front of the embassy and set fire to it and raised a red and black anarchist flag in its place. The protest was part of a European wide day of action after two Greek police officers were arrested for killing a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. Greek and British protesters blockade the Greek Embassy in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. The protesters took down the Greek flag from a pole in front of the embassy and set fire to it and raised a red and black anarchist flag in its place. The protest was part of a European wide day of action after two Greek police officers were arrested for killing a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

And after police removed the media from outside and away from the Greek embassy:

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. Metropolitan Police Inspector David Morgan speaks to waiting media as Greek and British protesters blockade the Greek Embassy in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. The protesters took down the Greek flag from a pole in front of the embassy and set fire to it and raised a red and black anarchist flag in its place. The protest was part of a European wide day of action after two Greek police officers were arrested for killing a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. A young male protester speaks to a broadcast crew as Greek and British protesters blockade the Greek Embassy in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. The protesters took down the Greek flag from a pole in front of the embassy and set fire to it and raised a red and black anarchist flag in its place. The protest was part of a European wide day of action after two Greek police officers were arrested for killing a 15-year-old boy, Andreas Grigoropoulos, which has set off a wave of violent protests across Greece. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Police to investigate Greek embassy incident” - National Union of Journalists.

“Met Police will investigate officer who grabbed photographic equipment at Greek Embassy Protests” - journalism.co.uk

As you can see  from the links above and the statement below the police have said they are going to investigate the Greek embassy “incident”.

Metropolitan Police statement:

“The officer featured in this clip will be investigated regarding his conduct with a member of the media. There are clear service guidelines that all officers are expected to adhere to that protects the rights of media.”

“The Metropolitan Police Service seeks to protect the interests and rights of media to do their job, through educating all our staff within the Service. Before every operation all our staff are briefed as to the role of the media and wherever operationally possible to facilitate them. This was a spontaneous demonstration that at points included outbreaks of disorder, which required an emergency response from police.”

Source: Press Gazette.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 08.12.08. Two police officers attempt to stop Photojournalist Marc Vallée reporting on a blockade of the Greek Embassy by Greek and British anarchists in London, England on Monday 8th December 2008. Published here by kind permission of Fil Kaler.  (c) Fil Kaler, 2008.

“New video evidence: photographers obstructed in reportage of Greek Embassy protests” – journalism.co.uk

“Heavy-handed policing against photographers caught on video” – 1854.eu

Yesterday the National Union of Journalists criticised the Metropolitan Police for their handling of the media, Jason N.Parkinson and yours truly, at a protest outside the Greek Embassy in London earlier this week.

Update 25.06.10: The video has been removed from Current TV by the copyright holder. I have replaced it with the above picture.

Yesterday I attended the Joint Committee on Human Rights at House of Commons.  Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Security gave oral evidence to the committee on policing and protest.

This follows on from the evidence Jeremy Dear the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists gave to the committee on police surveillance and harassment of journalists and photographers in October and the evidence that Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison from the Metropolitan Police, Deputy Chief Constable Sue Sim from the Association of Chief Police Officers and Constable Neil Hickey from the Police Federation of England and Wales gave in November.

Audio: Policing and Protest 09.12.08.

You can hear what Vernon Coaker had to say by clicking on the above link.   Nine minutes into the to the meeting the issue of photogapher rights comes up and the committee comes back to this issue a number of times and it’s well worth listening to the whole tape for that.

After what happened to me the day before when covering a protest in west London I have to say sitting in committee room five in the Palace of Westminster listing to the minster give evidence was a bit surreal at times but interesting all the same.