Though I'm an American, I care about the freedoms of everyone worldwide. And furthermore, as an amateur photographer, I have a particularly acute awareness of how challenging it can be for photographers and videographers to capture images and videos in public places, and of public officers.
And so that's why I was particularly disturbed to read about a new law being proposed in the UK that not only would make it illegal to photograph law enforcement officials, but would actually make it a crime that could result in years of imprisonment.
This story comes from the British Journal of Photography and is pretty chilling indeed.
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'... A person found guilty of this offence could be liable to imprisonment for up to 10 years, and to a fine.
The law is expected to increase the anti-terrorism powers used today by police officers to stop photographers, including press photographers, from taking pictures in public places. 'Who is to say that police officers won't abuse these powers,' asks freelance photographer Justin Tallis, who was threatened by an officer last week.
Tallis, a London-based photographer, was covering the anti-BBC protest on Saturday 24 January when he was approached by a police officer. Tallis had just taken a picture of the officer, who then asked to see the picture. The photographer refused, arguing that, as a press photographer, he had a right to take pictures of police officers.
Emphasis added.
I can understand where a legitimate concern originates, but as we've seen in America, the zeal to stop terrorism has been abused time and again. In this case specifically, the law that can be terribly abused by law enforcement officials who just don't want to be photographed or videotaped.
Remember the case of Oscar Grant, the man who was killed by police in an Oakland BART transit station in Oakland? While not passing judgment on the officers involved, I will note that multiple witnesses claim that the police tried to gather their cell-phone recording devices as evidence. Had they all complied, who knows if there would even have been a trial of the police officer accused?
A law like the one proposed in Britain could not only give the police the right to confiscate recording devices in such a case, but could also charge the people recording the incident with a felony for which they could serve years in prison.
This law is terrible for freedom in general, and I'd just like our UK Kossack friends to be aware of it, and if they feel as disgusted by it as I do, to fight its passage tooth and nail.