LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 15.06.08. A police photographer, in full riot gear films and photographs protesters, during a demonstration against George W Bush during the U.S President’s visit to London on Sunday 15 June 2008, London, England.  Protesters had been “banned” by the 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.

“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.

For the last 3 months I have been working on an investigation about police surveillance of journalists and protesters for The Guardian with Paul Lewis.  Click on the links above to see what we found out.

“I’m A Photographer… Not A Terrorist” – Jason N.Parkinson, Current TV.

Here is a short film from my good friend and colleague Jason N.Parkinson about the mass photo taking event that took place outside New Scotland Yard last Monday. Enjoy!

Here are a few more press clipping (in no particular order) from the media event  “I’m a Photographer … not a Terrorist” from early in the week.  If I have missed anything good feel free to post a comment with a  link.

“VIDEO: Hundreds demonstrate their freedom to photograph” - National Union of Journalists.

“EFJ Supports UK Photographers in Counter Terrorism Act Protest” – International Federation of Journalists.

“Law threatens news photographers” – Roy Greenslade, The Guardian.

“AUDIO: Drivetime News” – BBC Radio Wales.

“AUDIO: Drivetime News” – BBC Radio Scotland.

“AUDIO: News” - BBC Radio Scotland.

“Why the ex-boss of MI5 is now standing up for press freedom” – Roy Greenslade, Evening Standard.

“Photographer Not a Terrorist” - londonist.com

“Press gang takes to the streets” - British Journal of Photography.

“Counter Terrorism Act 2008 : new provisions set to “limit” photography in a public place” – gcnchambers.co.uk

“BROADCAST” - aljazeera.net

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.

Well done for the big turn out for “I’m a Photographer … not a Terrorist” media event outside New Scotland Yard yesterday.  Here are a few press clipping (in no particular order) from the day.  If I have missed anything good feel free to post a comment with a  link.   Also, it would be great if you posted a link to your pictures of the event as well.

“Police share photographers’ worries about terror law” - National Union of Journalists.

“Hundreds demonstrate their freedom to photograph” - National Union of Journalists.

“Journalists protest photo law” – BBC London Tonight.

“Is it a crime to take pictures?” -  BBC News.

“Photographers angry at terror law” -  BBC News.

“Photographers protest outside Scotland Yard over new anti-terror law” – telegraph.co.uk

“Calling the police to account” – Henry Porter, The Guardian.

“New law making it an offence to photograph a policeman should worry us all” - telegraph.co.uk

“Police protest over terror law ban on holiday snaps” – The Standard.

“Photographers stage protest outside Scotland Yard against anti-terror laws” – The London Paper.

“London News: Around 150 photographers hold mass photo shoot outside Scotland Yard in protest at new anti-terror law” – The London Paper.

“300 join police picture protest” – The Morning Star.

“Photographers converge on new Scotland Yard” - British Journal of Photography.

“400 photographers in Scotland Yard police terror protest” – Press Gazette.

“Met Police: Terror law ‘a real risk’ to photographers” - Press Gazette.

“Do not make us the ’secret’ police” – Metropolitan Police Federation.

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.

Clients : Click on the link below  to view more images for rights managed editorial licensing.  High resolution images are available on request.

Images: “Photographers stage a mass photo taking event outside New Scotland Yard – 16.02.09.

“Documenting dissent is under attack” – The Guardian.

“Photographers fear they are target of new terror law” – The Guardian.

The Guardian reports on section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 today here and with a comment is free post from me here.  See you all on Monday!

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 24.07.08. New Scotland Yard the Headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, London, England on Thursday 24th July 2008. The Metropolitan Police have come under increasing pressure from National Union of Journalists due to numerous complaints about how the police deal with the media, particularly at public events and demonstrations. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Media Event: “I’m a Photographer … not a Terrorist”

Hosted by the National Union of Journalists and supported by the British Journal of Photography and the British Press Photographers’ Association.

New Scotland Yard, Broadway, Westminster, London SW1H, UK.  (Map)

Monday 16 February 2009.

11am.

“NUJ, activists and BJP calls for photography rights event” - British Journal of Photography.

Monday 16th February 2009 is the enforcement date for Section 76  of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.   As the British Journal of Photography (BJP) wrote last month,

“The relationship between photographers and police could worsen next month when new laws are introduced that allow for the arrest – and imprisonment – of anyone who takes pictures of officers ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’.”

To read the full BJP article, click here.

So with that the National Union of Journalists has teamed up with Mark Thomas (writer, broadcaster, comic and political activist), Chris Atkins (the BAFTA nominated director and writer of the feature film documentary Taking Liberties), Marc Vallée (Photojournalist – that’s me by the way), The British Journal of Photography and many more  for a “media event” outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February 2009 at 11am.

The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.

Here is a link to a Fackbook page for the event.   Please note that this event is NOT a Protest! It’s just photography!

See you on the 16th folks!

Update – 06.02.09: NUJ Media Release:

“Photographers snap into action over new law” – National Union of Journalists.

“Comedian Mark Thomas is to join with NUJ members in an event to highlight the threat of a new UK law that could be used against press photographers taking pictures of the police.”

Click here to read more.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 24.01.09. A Metropolitan Police Forward Intelligence Team sergeant grabs hold of a press photographer’s camera on a Gaza protest against the BBC on Saturday 24th January 2009 in London, England. Justin Tallis, a London based freelance photographer and NUJ and BPPA member, was photographing the anti-BBC protest. The BBC had refused to broadcast a charity appeal to raise emergency funds for people in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2009.

“Another press photographer threatened by police” - British Journal of Photography.

Images: “Surveillance Police grab Press Photographers Camera on Gaza anti-BBC Protest – 24.01.09″

Justin Tallis tells us what happened in his own words,

The police officer said “let me have a look at that picture.” I said, “No”.  The police officer then said, “You’re not allowed to take photos of police officers”.  I then said, “Don’t be ridiculous of course I can take pictures of police officers”. The police officer then tried to take my camera from me.   After a bit of time I think the police officer realised he was in the wrong trying to forcibly take my equipment from me.  He then got very close to me, way into my personal space, and said again “you shouldn’t have taken that photo you were intimidating me”. I think that if Marc had not been there taking these photos the situation could have ended very differently.

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.

“Home Office clarifies street photography bans” - British Journal of Photography.

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.

TEARSHEET: Jess Hurd’s center page pictures in The Guardian on Saturday 13 December 2008.  Later on she was detained under the Terrorism Act.  Published here by kind permission of Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk. (c) Jess Hurd, 2008.

“Terrorism Act cited over wedding photos” - pressgazette.co.uk

“Photographer mulls legal action” -  AP

“UPDATE: Audio of altercation between police officers and press photographer emerges” – British Journal of Photography

“Press photographer detained under Terrorism Act” -British Journal of Photography.

“Photographer at wedding accused of taking pictures for terrorists”- National Union of Journalists.

“Traveller wedding belles go to town – in the shadow of mass eviction” – The Guardian.

Audio: Jess Hurd – Stop and Search – S44  Terrorism Act.

My good friend and colleague Jess Hurd (who over the weekend attended the European Federation of Journalists event “Photojournalists: An endangered species in Europe?” in Paris) was stopped and searched last week on UN Human Rights Day under the S44 of the Terrorism Act by police.  The officers “forcibly took” her camera which under S44 there do not have the power to do so.

Click here to  listen to an audio file of the stop and  search and below is the full statement from National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

NUJ Statement:

“A photographer documenting the persecution of Irish travellers in the UK was herself subjected to police intimidation…on UN Human Rights Day.

“The NUJ has condemned the abuse of the police’s stop and search powers after they forcibly took photographer Jess Hurd’s camera from her and detained her for 45 minutes under S44 of the Terrorism Act whilst she was covering a traveller wedding in London Docklands, part of a long term documentary project on the persecution of travellers.

“Whilst clearly photographing a wedding, the pictures of which appeared in Saturday’s Guardian newspaper, Jess was detained under s44 on the grounds she could be carrying out hostile reconnaissance for a terrorist assault.”

NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: “This is yet another absurd misuse of the s44 powers which are designed to allow the police to detain those actively involved in carrying out a terrorist activity not to stop press photographers carrying out their legitimate business.

“Despite the government’s warm words about the right to photograph in public and new Home Office guidelines it appears the routine abuse of these powers goes on.

“How ironic that those documenting persecution and intimidation on UN Human Rights Day should be subject to such abuse and intimidation”.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM. Irish travellers Nora Quilligan and Danny Sheridan from Dale Farm celebrate their wedding day.  This was the third of four weddings held in quick succession by families at Dale Farm anxious to solemnize marriages before the New Year when Court of Appeal judges may rule that Basildon council can put into action its much delayed eviction operation.  Published here by kind permission of Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk. (c) Jess Hurd, 2008.