NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 29.07.09. Vestas workers, family members and supporters march from the Vestas wind turbine factory to the local County Court on Wednesday 29 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers represented by RMT lawyers argued successfully that a possession order had been incorrectly served and that Vestas could not be granted an eviction order – the judge adjourned the case to Tuesday 4th August 2009. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs and close the factory. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
For The Guardian toady I have written about new guidelines from the Metropolitan police which reinforce the rights of press photographers working in public.
Today my solicitor served papers on the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis. Due to legal reasons I can not say anything about the case but the links above and below should give you all the information and background you need.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. General view – at night – of the Vestas wind turbine factory occupation on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory for the last four days after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. Vestas workers, family members and supporters march from St Thomas’s Square to the Vestas wind turbine factory on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory for the last four days after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – 24.07.09. The occupation of the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight enters day four on Friday 24 July 2009 in Newport, Isle of Wight. Vestas workers have been occupying the factory after management revealed plans to cut 600 jobs at the end of July. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 19.07.09. Sex workers and supporters march through Soho in central London against new laws that campaigners claim will increase criminalisation of sex workers and push prostitution underground on Sunday 19 July 2009 in London, England. The Policing and Crime Bill 2009 will create a new offence of paying for sex with a prostitute who is “controlled for gain” and modifies existing offences – such as loitering and kerb-crawling. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 10.07.09. Protesters congregate outside the headquarters of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson on Friday 10 July 2009 in London, England. The protest marked a 100 days since the death of Ian Tomlinson – a 47-year-old newspaper seller – who died on April 1st after being assaulted by a police officer at a G20 demonstration in London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 16.02.09. Photographers stage a mass photo taking event outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February 2009 in London, England. The event, called by the National Union of Journalists, marked the enforcement date of section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 which could prevent the media and public from taking pictures of the police . (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
Photographers are under attack – job losses in local and national media, picture rate cuts and police repression on the streets. It’s time for photographers to come together and plan and build the best way to defend our profession. NUJ London photographers are meeting on Thursday 16 July 2009 at 6.30pm at Headland House (MAP) to start the process of setting up a NUJ London Photographers Branch. If you live or work in London – freelance, agency or staffer – and an NUJ member this is the meeting for you.
If you are a photographer and not yet an NUJ member – join us and be part of this new branch.
Update (17.07.09): The meeting of NUJ photographers in London last night voted to set up a London Photographers Branch (LPB). A historic moment for the NUJ. There were 31 people at the meeting and the vote for a ‘nationwide’ branch was defeated by 19-7 with 4 abstentions. The vote for a London branch was carried by 26-1 with 1 abstention. The branch must now be approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NUJ and the next LPB meeting will be in September to elect a interim committee.
It was agreed that the LPB will be open to NUJ members who “work as photographers or as other lens based journalists” and whose work is “carried out in London”. It was also agreed that the new branch will campaign against job cuts, rate cuts and restrictions on photography as well as campaign against attacks on media workers across the world.
I have written about how anti-terrorism laws are creating a hostile environment for photography in public spaces for The Guardian today.
BEDFORD, UNITED KINGDOM – 21.03.09. A Bedfordshire Police sergeant questions a press photographer under new counter terrorism laws on Saturday 21 March 2009 in Bedfordshire, England. Justin Tallis, a London based freelance photographer and NUJ and BPPA member, was photographing an anti-immigration detention centre protest outside Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire. The new controversial anti-terror law, section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008, came into force on Monday 16th February 2009. On the enforcement date hundreds of photographers staged a mass photo taking event outside New Scotland Yard in protest to the new law. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.
