Link.

I’m now on Twitter. My aim is to update you on what I’m doing, be it in the office or on the street. So the next time something like this happens, you will get to read about it first here straight from the street!

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 25.04.09. Animal rights activists demonstrate against animal testing on Saturday 25 April 2009 in London, England. Protestors congregated in London and marched from Hyde Park to Westminster to call for an end to animal experiments as part of world wide protest. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

“Campaigners March Against Animal Testing” – Sky News.

Link : Click here to view more images.

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

Note: And thank you to Alan Gallery for this link.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 06.12.07. A member of Plane Stupid joins an environmental protest in London, England on Saturday 6th December 2008 as UN Climate talks take place in Poznan, Poland. The London protest was part of an international day of protest and an appeal to the UK government to take political action to tackle climate change. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy” – Paul Lewis, The Guardian (Front page).

“‘UK plc can afford more than 20 quid,’ the officer said” – Paul Lewis and Marc Vallée, The Guardian (Pages 6 & 7).

“Analysis: The rules on police informants” – Sandra Laville, The Guardian (Pages 6 & 7).

“‘We don’t discuss money, we don’t talk salaries’” – The Guardian.

“Police and protest: failure of intelligence” – Editorial, The Guardian (page 36).

Above are links to the second investigation I have worked on for The Guardian this year.

UPDATE: Radio 4’s Today programme, Channel Four News, ITN News and BBC News have all picked up on our investigation, in fact Channel Four News led with it tonight (see below).

Plus here is what the rest of the press had to say about it, The Independent, The Times, The Press Association, The Herald, Reuters UK, The Daily Telegraph, AFP, The Scotsman, Sky News and many more.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 20.04.09. Tamil protesters block the road outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday 20 April 2009 in London, England. Protestors have occupied Parliament Square for 15 days, calling for the British Government to intervene in to the civil war in Sri Lanka. (Photo by Marc Valle/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Valle, 2009.

Link : Click here to view more images.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 20.04.09. A women attempts to remove a baby from a pram as Metropolitan Police Territorial Support Group (TSG) and Forward Intelligence Team (FIT) officers move in to remove Tamil protesters from a road outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday 20 April 2009 in London, England. Protestors have occupied Parliament Square for 15 days, calling for the British Government to intervene in to the civil war in Sri Lanka. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

“Tamils escalate London protest as hunger striker’s condition worsens” – The Guardian.

Link : Click here to view more images. A full set of images will be available later today.

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

Link.

“Journalists on the G20 front line” – The Guardian.

Here is a link to a Comment is free post I wrote for The Guardian yesterday on journalists and the G2O protests. Plus the National Union of Journalists is considering legal action over the treatment of photographers and journalists by the police.

Also, here is some good news, Kent police have apologised to my friend and colleague Jess Hurd, who was stopped and searched four times while covering last year’s climate camp. I was stopped and searched with Jess two of the times. You can see this for yourself below in Jason N. Parkinson’s film Covering Climate Camp.

Plus, take a look at The Guardian investigation into police surveillance of journalists and protesters that I worked on with Paul Lewis to get a better context of the events surrounding the policing of the climate camp.

“Revealed: police databank on thousands of protesters” – The Guardian.

“Caught on film and stored on database: how police keep tabs on activists” – The Guardian.

“Under surveillance: police target environmental protesters and journalists” – The Guardian.

“Police surveillance: ‘They’re focusing on the press more than the protesters’” – The Guardian.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 02.04.09. A City of London police inspector orders the media to leave the area as police ‘kettle” protesters outside the Bank of England on Thursday 2 April 2009 in London, England. The police officer ordered members of the media to leave the area for 30 minutes under the threat of arrest by citing Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. The protesters had congregated to mark the death of a man who had died on an anti-G20 protest the day before. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

“Video: G20 police threaten photographers with arrest” – The Guardian.

As promised here is the film footage of the Section 14 incident at the G20 protest on the 2nd to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson. The footage was filmed by my good friend and colleague Jason N. Parkinson and published by The Guardian. You can hear me having a “conversation” with the inspector. He tells me to “shut up” and threatens to arrest us if we do not move. To put this all into context this incident took place an hour or so after this.

Also, I have something in The Guardian tomorrow on the Ian Tomlinson case which I have been working on with Paul Lewis, more on that tomorrow.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 11.04.09. Paul King, Ian Tomlinson son addresses protesters outside Bethnal Green Police Station on Saturday 11 April 2009 in London, England. Protesters had congregated outside Bethnal Green Police Station to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, who died on April 1 after being assaulted by a police officer at a G20 demonstration. Ian Tomlinson’s son addressed protesters before the march made its way to the City of London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

Link : Click here to view more images.

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

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 11.04.09. Chief Superintendent Alex Robertson (left), head of the City of London police Specialist Support Directorate, stands outside Bethnal Green Police Station on Saturday 11 April 2009 in London, England. Protesters had congregated outside Bethnal Green Police Station to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, who died on April 1 after being assaulted by a police officer at a G20 demonstration. Paul King, Ian Tomlinson son addressed protesters before the march made its way to the City of London. Chief Superintendent Robertson was Bronze Commander for the geographical area where Ian Tomlinson was assaulted before he died of a heart attack. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

“Strategic Management Board – Chief Superintendent Alex Robertson” – cityoflondon.police.uk

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 02.04.09. A City of London police inspector orders the media to leave the area as police ‘kettle” protesters outside the Bank of England on Thursday 2 April 2009 in London, England. The police officer ordered members of the media to leave the area for 30 minutes under the threat of arrest by citing Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. The protesters had congregated to mark the death of a man who had died on an anti-G20 protest the day before. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

Link : Click here to view more images.

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

“Police apologise for obstructing photographers at G20 protest” – The Guardian.

“We were wrong, says the Met” – British Journal of Photography.

“Metropolitan Police apologises to photographers for use of Public Order Act” – British Journal of Photography.

“Press associations weighing options after G20 police abuses” – British Journal of Photography.

The police “apologise” for obstructing photographers (including me) on a protest outside the Bank of England on the 2 April 2009. But why did the police use Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 against a group of working journalists? Why did the police want the journalists to be moved away from the protest for 30 minutes and 200 yards up the road? Why did the police threatened to arrest the journalists? Why did a journalist get told to shut up when questioned why the Public Order Act was being used in this way? And why was the UK Press Card ignored?

Audio and film footage of this incident will be available soon.

Here is the full text of Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986:

14.—( 1) If the senior police officer, having regard to the time or place at which and the circumstances in which any public assembly is being held or is intended to be held, reasonably believes that—

(a) it may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community, or

(b) the purpose of the persons organising it is the intimidation of others with a view to compelling them not to do an act they have a right to do, or to do an act they have a right not to do, he may give directions imposing on the persons organising or taking part in the assembly such conditions as to the place at which the assembly may be (or continue to be) held, its maximum duration, or the maximum number of persons who may constitute it, as appear to him necessary to prevent such disorder, damage, disruption or intimidation.

(2) In subsection (1) “the senior police officer” means—

(a) in relation to an assembly being held, the most senior in rank of the police officers present at the scene, and

(b) in relation to an assembly intended to be held, the chief officer of police.

(3) A direction given by a chief officer of police by virtue of subsection (2)(b) shall be given in writing.

(4) A person who organises a public assembly and knowingly fails to comply with a condition imposed under this section is guilty of an offence, but it is a defence for him to prove that the failure arose from circumstances beyond his control.

(5) A person who takes part in a public assembly and knowingly fails to comply with a condition imposed under this section is guilty of an offence, but it is a defence for him to prove that the failure arose from circumstances beyond his control.

(6) A person who incites another to commit an offence under subsection (5) is guilty of an offence.

(7) A constable in uniform may arrest without warrant anyone he reasonably suspects is committing an offence under subsection (4), (5) or (6).

(8) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (4) is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale or both.

(9) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (5) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(10) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (6) is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale or both, notwithstanding section 45(3) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980.

Publication: Front cover of Stage Screen & Radio magazine (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union – BECTU), April 2009.

Here are two tear sheets of images of mine on police surveillance. Above is the front cover of the April issue of the BECTU Stage Screen & Radio magazine and below is one from The Guardian from last month. As most of you will know I also co-wrote The Guardian investigation.

Publication: Pages 14 & 15 of The Guardian, 7 March 2009.