> > > > http://www.web-options.com/L1001029.jpg > > > > It's quite interesting and seems to have the support of most of the > > locals, > > who are mostly bourgeois liberals like me. The camp is > right next to an > > army > > barracks, where the police have set up a cherry-picker > loaded with cameras > > and videos overlooking the protesters. They are apparently > photographing > > everyone who visits, which is rather a waste of taxpayers' > film if you ask > > me. > > It sounds a bit Orwellian to me. I suppose anyone who > protests anything > these days is a potential terrorist as far as your boffins > are concerned. > Amazing that your government seems to have the right to > photograph anyone > and anything, but the owners of that government almost appear > to not have > the right to photograph anyone or anything. > > William Robb
We can photograph anything we want from a public place, with a relatively small number of exceptions. This means, of course, that other people, including the government and its agents, have the right to photograph me when I'm in a public place. It would be hypocritical of me to object to other people taking my picture when I'm in public, although the enormous use of surveillance over here is a complete waste of effort and money. It doesn't prevent crime, and is next to useless when it comes to getting convictions. It's not the photographing that's wrong, it's the apparent presumption that protest is not a legitimate activity, and the further presumption that anyone associating with protesters is guilty of something or other. There is also the ridiculous use of stop & search powers by the police which is often unjustifiably used against photographers. In the 80s these powers, then called the Sus Law, were stopped because they were unfairly targeting young black men and they eventually led to riots. But they're back with a vengeance now, and unfairly targetting young black men again, as well as people who look like they might be Muslims, or climate camp types. Or photographers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8206546.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7846526.stm Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
