LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 13.12.09. Joel Titus, youth leader of the English Defence League lunges at a photographer as around fifteen far right protesters attend a demonstration organised by a group called Stop the Islamisation of Europe in Harrow on Sunday 13 December 2009 in north-west London, England. Hundreds of police officers surrounded the Harrow Civic Centre car park, Harrow Central Mosque and Harrow and Wealdstone Station to prevent clashes between members of the English Defence League and around 250 anti-fascist campaigners. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009. All rights reserved.
“Far right embraces fatwas” – Jason N Parkinson, The Guardian.
“Death threats for journalists covering far right demos” – National Union of Journalists.
On Sunday I covered a protest outside Harrow Central Mosque in north-west London. A group called Stop the Islamisation of Europe had called a protest with support from the English Defence League (EDL).
Towards the end of the protest Joel Titus, leader of the EDL youth division, lunged towards me and smashed my camera into my face and then ran away.
If you put this into the context of death threats against journalists who cover far right protests, this was not only a thuggish attack on me but an attack on press freedom as well.
Update 19.12.09: Joel Titus was arrested on the morning of Thursday 17 December 2009 by Harrow police. It’s my understanding after being questioned and shown CCTV footage of the assault Titus accepted what he had done and was cautioned for Battery under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
The Met Press Bureau issued the following statement, “An 18-year-old man from Harrow has been arrested and cautioned following an allegation of common assault.”
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) will be issuing a statement in a few days.
Update 22.12.09: Here is the NUJ statement.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 13.12.09. Joel Titus, leader of the EDL Youth Division, strikes photojournalist Marc Vallée as he leaves a protest outside Harrow Mosque on Sunday 13 December 2009. (Photo by Jonathan Warren. (c) Jonathan Warren, 2009. Published here by kind permission of Jonathan Warren. All rights reserved.
Tags: EDL English Defence League Free Press Human Rights Media Freedom Media Workers Metropolitan Police Photographers Photography Photojournalism Police Press Freedom
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[...] served to alienate the public from the event, and either way, did not stop a leading EDL member, Joel Titus, from swaggering his way through the crowd earlier in the [...]