www.marcvallee.co.uk/press_photo_protest/28.03.08.html.

SLIDESHOW: Group slideshow (above) of National Union of Journalist General Secretary, Jeremy Dear staging a one-man protest outside the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, New Scotland Yard, London, England on Friday 28th March 2008.  The protest which was attended by press photographers from across of UK and was in response to numerous complaints about how the police deal with the media, particularly at public events and demonstrations. (All images copyright of stated copyright holder).

Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary has replied to NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear on the issue of police surveillance of journalists, well kind of.  The lack of a response to the main points in Jeremy Dear’s letter is sadly no great surprise.

The Home Secretary response starts with, “first of all, may I take this opportunity to state that the government greatly values the importance of the freedom of the press, and as such there is no legal restriction on photography in a public places”.

Then comes the but, “however, decisions may be made locally to restrict or monitor photography in reasonable circumstances. That it is an operational decision for the officers involved based on the individual circumstances of each situation”.  The British Journal of Photography view on this is that this “green lights restrictions on photography” and the Press Gazette view is that the Home Secretary is telling us that the surveillance of journalists by the police is an “operational decision”!

So the Home Secretary has passed the buck on to Sir Ian Blair the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

The orwellian newspeak from the Home Secretary translates into police surveillance of journalists, journalists being arrested or threatened with arrest, equipment being seized, physically intimidated and actual physical violence on the streets.

All points that I will make to Tony McNulty, Minister of State for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing when I meet him along with Jeremy Dear and other journalists.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.06.08. A Metropolitan Police Forward Intelligence Team photographer films and photographs journalists as police and protesters clash during a demonstration against U.S President George W Bush in Parliament Square, Westminster on Sunday 15 June 2008, London, England. Protesters had been banned by the Metropolitan Police from demonstrating outside 10 Downing Street to protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

“Home Secretary green lights restrictions on photography” – The British Journal of Photography.

“Home Secretary tells NUJ police surveillance of journalists is “operational decision” – Press Gazette.

“Is big brother watching journalists?” – Press Gazette.

“Concern is rising that the police are abusing powers” – Press Gazette.

www.nuj.org.uk

“Home Secretary told “end police surveillance of journalists” – nuj.org.uk.

“NUJ takes protest to Home Office” - British Journal of Photography.

Last Thursday NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear sent a letter to Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary on the issue of police surveillance of journalists. In the letter Jeremy Dear writes that “…we have serious concerns about the activities of the Metropolitan Police’s Forward Intelligence Team (FIT Team) in monitoring and recording the activities of bona fide journalists, especially photographers.” He goes on to say the “police’s surveillance… amounts to virtual harassment”.

The full text of the letter has been released to the press today and the British Journal of Photography has taken up the issue (below) in this weeks magazine.

British Journal of Photography, 28.05.08, page 4. Copyright British Journal of Photography/Incisive Media, 2008. Published here by kind permission of the British Journal of Photography/Incisive Media.

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.

This week the NUJ will be taking up the issue of police surveillance of journalists who regularly cover protests with Jacqui Smith at the Home Office. The British Journal of Photography got wind of this towards the end of last week and rang up for quotes from both NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear and I for an article for this weeks issue. Here are the quotes in full.

NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: “The government must stamp out the routine and deliberate targeting of photographers and other journalists by the Forward Intelligence Team. Such actions undermine media freedom and can serve to intimidate photographers trying to carry out their lawful work. These abuses are the latest in an increasingly long list of infringements of media freedom at the hands of the Met Police. The rights of photographers to work free from threat, harassment and intimidation must be upheld”.

Photojournalist Marc Vallée said: “Press freedom is a central tenet of our democracy and it is extremely unpleasant to have Metropolitan Police Forward Intelligence Team (FIT) officers take notes, film and photography you when working. It begs the questions what legal, moral and political power such repressive actions are based on. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary needs to swiftly confirm that the police have no legal power to prevent or restrict working photographers in this way.”

I will post more later in the week once things start to move on this.