 No photos. We are British officers
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-18 07:45
Tourists better think twice now before snapping pictures of the iconic British bobby. A new British anti-terrorism law went into effect on Monday that could effectively bar photographers from taking pictures of police or military personnel - a move that prompted some 200 photographers to protest outside of Scotland Yard's headquarters. Although the measure aims to prevent terrorists from taking reconnaissance shots, photographers say it could be misused at a whim to stop any pictures from being taken, especially images involving police abuse and demonstrations. Freelance photographer Jess Hurd said she was stopped by police when photographing a December wedding of Irish travelers. Part of the story was about how the travelers - who often roam from site to site - face harassment from police. Hurd said police stopped her and ordered her to stop photographing them because they were in the vicinity of City Airport. Britain has come under fire in recent years for several measures that civil liberties groups say erode people's freedoms. In 2005, another law prohibited demonstrations around Parliament. Marc Vallee, a photographer who specializes in photographing protests and gatherings, said police often see photographers as a nuisance to be got out of the way. "The press is seen as an annoyance and under the terrorism acts they (the police) can deal with that," he said. The new act makes it a crime to "elicit, publish or communicate information" about British police or military personnel. Britain's Home Office said in a statement that the law is designed to protect police officers on counterterrorism operations. In many cases, officers could allow photographers to keep taking pictures. In other cases, they could ask them to stop or threaten them with arrest. Photographers who refuse to stop taking pictures after a warning face arrest, up to 10 years in prison or unspecified fines. Agencies
(China Daily 02/18/2009 page11) |
