G20 demonstrations

i'll be there...holding a baton and shield though..looking forward to meeting some protesters

So not dressing down for the day then ?

The riot police with there silly little shields are a bit silly dont you think?
are they just trying to scare you with there toys or are they scared of a few people wearing jumpers?

are they scared of a few people wearing jumpers?

to be fair, Noel Edmonds would make anyone feel uneasy

i'll be there...holding a baton and shield though..looking forward to meeting some protesters

go and do your job properly and catch real criminals and terrorists.

I can give you some pointers on how to secure London a bit better. lol

Security FAIL

i'm sure you can..do tell

go and do your job properly and catch real criminals and terrorists.

I can give you some pointers on how to secure London a bit better. lol

Security FAIL

no. Lazy fucking police do your own work. lol

What job would you apply for if you did?

Good point

It is a bit stupid how they deal with things

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46832,opinion,political-policing-of-g20-protests-could-lead-to-riots

Its all about controlling the masses. That's what this whole recession and war thing is designed for in the first place. Controlling the little people. Make sure we don't step out of line. Personally, I don't give a fuck about the environment, but I do give a fuck about all the taxes I pay. The poll tax riots. Now they were the bollox. If only we could get rid of council tax and stop being screwed over by these cunts in charge. Politicians claiming expenses for their wanking husbands, shit like that. This country needs a change and fast. Personally I hope it does kick off on one hand. But on the other, I have friends who are working in one of the target buildings and I hope they are ok. But targetting the bankers themselves is pointless. They are doing a job that is there and that someone has to do. It don't bother me if someone earns £10000000 per year if they deserve it. But it does bother me that I can't go out and buy a new track frame tomorrow. And I work fucking hard. But almost all my earnings goes on mortgage, bills and taxes. Cunts

you wanna help me with an experiment? I thought it might be nice to get a tape recorder and record what the police say when we go and draw pictures of them, you know court artist style. The tape and pictures should give a reasonable account of events, despite not being able to take photographic evidence.

The legislation doesn't specifically target photography, it covers "eliciting, publishing or communicating information" so could theoretically cover drawings as much as anything else. Having said that, it's only an offence if they can prove that the information is "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" and proving you had a reasonable excuse for collecting the information is a defence.

Of course that's not the real issue, the chances of a court convicting anyone for photographing the police in a situation like this seem remote at best, rather it's the concern that the police will abuse the legislation to harass and arrest photographers, even if no charges are ever brought.

My only dealings with the Met Police. The scene... Highbury on a afternoon when Arsenal had won the FA Cup. Crowds celebrating the win. Been to a pub and now eating a burger while leaning against the wall. Suddenly my picture is taken by a police photographer "excuse me, why have you taken my photograph?" "Fuck off or I'll have you arrested." "But I'm not doing anything, so why take my photo?" "I told you to fuck off!" Then approached another officer, same response...

People thought the tories were bad (no I don't support them). This government has taken our civil liberties and shat all over them...

Down here if a pig told you to fuck off theyd get a bleddy punch from most

Too many on an overtime outing... If you punched one of them, there would be about 50 to 'restrain' you.

personally, i don't give a fuck about the environment...

wake up!!!!

Out of interest, who's sponsoring the protests? ;)

Its all about controlling the masses. That's what this whole recession and war thing is designed for in the first place.

With you on the war, but the recession designed?

I find it hard to believe that anyone could design such a colossal fuck-up. It has the dead hand of Gordon Brown's massive incompetence all over it. I seriously doubt he has the intelligence or skills to have done it deliberately.

Its all about controlling the masses. That's what this whole recession and war thing is designed for in the first place. Controlling the little people. Make sure we don't step out of line. Personally, I don't give a fuck about the environment, but I do give a fuck about all the taxes I pay. The poll tax riots. Now they were the bollox. If only we could get rid of council tax and stop being screwed over by these cunts in charge. Politicians claiming expenses for their wanking husbands, shit like that. This country needs a change and fast. Personally I hope it does kick off on one hand. But on the other, I have friends who are working in one of the target buildings and I hope they are ok. But targetting the bankers themselves is pointless. They are doing a job that is there and that someone has to do. It don't bother me if someone earns £10000000 per year if they deserve it. But it does bother me that I can't go out and buy a new track frame tomorrow. And I work fucking hard. But almost all my earnings goes on mortgage, bills and taxes. Cunts

i'm not quite sure what you're saying here...sorry, can you elaborate.

RPM, I'm allegedly working tomorrow....but you know. I'll bring a sketch pad.

I've been hired on Thursday to photograph the protests... wish me luck!

Is this guy exempt?

One of the ironies is that the police have been employing increasingly aggressive monitoring of protesters and journalists in - presumably - an attempt to intimidate and make the act of protesting as an unpleasant an affair as possible.

Perhaps irony is not quite the right word, but hopefully you see the divide between excessively invasive monitoring being pursued by the police and legislating that the public have from the this Feb lost their legal right to record the police at work.

you wanna help me with an experiment? I thought it might be nice to get a tape recorder and record what the police say when we go and draw pictures of them, you know court artist style. The tape and pictures should give a reasonable account of events, despite not being able to take photographic evidence.

I'm going to get down there early with a couple of blank canvases and some oil paint.

It's worrying to me (and to many others) at how this is all going, the very idea that the police can carry out their work secretly, away from public scrutiny is more akin to some South American Junta than a modern democracy.

These new powers will, of course, be widely abused.

Bloody FIT team are a pain in the arse. Always miserable.

The UK National Policing Improvement Agency has produced a document entitled, ‘Practice Advice on Stop and Search in Relation to Terrorism’, which includes a section on Photography. This states:
“The Terrorism Act 2000 does not prohibit people from taking photographs or digital images in an area where an authority under section 44 is in place. Officers should not prevent people taking photographs unless they are in an area where photography is prevented by other legislation. If officers reasonably suspect that photographs are being taken as part of hostile terrorist reconnaissance, a search under section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000 or an arrest should be considered. Film and memory cards may be seized as part of the search, but officers do not have a legal power to delete images or destroy film. Although images may be viewed as part of a search, to preserve evidence when cameras or other devices are seized, officers should not normally attempt to examine them. Cameras and other devices should be left in the state they were found and forwarded to appropriately trained staff for forensic examination. The person being searched should never be asked or allowed to turn the device on or off because of the danger of evidence being lost or damaged.”

from the InPublic website

i'll be there...holding a baton and shield though..looking forward to meeting some protesters

Just beat yourself off at home before you go out, so others don't have to be subject to your over excitement.

The legislation doesn't specifically target photography, it covers "eliciting, publishing or communicating information" so could theoretically cover drawings as much as anything else. Having said that, it's only an offence if they can prove that the information is "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism" and proving you had a reasonable excuse for collecting the information is a defence.

Oh come off it ! Do you really want me to list all the abuses of the current terrorism legislation ! Of course this will be abused, It is the job of the police and the courts to interpret how this law is applied.

Of course that's not the real issue, the chances of a court convicting anyone for photographing the police in a situation like this seem remote at best, rather it's the concern that the police will abuse the legislation to harass and arrest photographers, even if no charges are ever brought.

Agreed.