Dennis the Menace blog from Kent, England gave me the heads-up on this event at Trafalgar Square today. I'm not sure which is worse - terrorism itself of the fear of it. What else are free-minded people expected to do but take it to the streets?
Mass Gathering in defence of street photography
I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! invite all Photographers to a mass photo gathering in defence of street photography.Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed police detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others. PHNAT feels now is the time for a mass turnout of Photographers, professional and amateur to defend our rights and stop the abuse of the terror laws.
Read the whole thing at:
Yes, the fear is far worse. So sad.
ReplyDeleteHere here.
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering when Im out shooting (with 2 cameras) if I might be stopped.
My daughter was once shouted at that she was breaking homeland security laws by experimenting with her new camera at a gas station. And I've been looked at suspiciously, though mostly people are worried about break-ins in my area. Yes, even though most of my snapshots have been in rural areas. In the city here, no one blinks an eye. That appears to be different in London. I can see why Londoners would be fearful of terrorism. But so are New Yorkers. However, I'm not really sure what a camera has to do with terrorism??
ReplyDeleteThis is hugely disturbing, though not at all surprising, to me. People are so lily-livered, and the Tea-Baggers of the Radical Reicht more so than most. Christ, they're even 'scared of Obama!
ReplyDeleteI was taking night photos in Boston this past autumn when I was approached by a military type with his assault rifle cocked and pointed at my chest. Turns out I was in the neighborhood of the Israeli embassy. I straightened the mess out without being shot, but not without suffering a minor heart attack!
If "terrorism" is the instilling of terror in a population, I regret to say that the terrorists are indeed winning.