Whether, like the title of this blog, the name of the campaign group “I'm a Photographer, Not a Terrorist” is modelled after Dr McCoy's lines in “Star Trek” I don't know, but the issue that is their focus is one that I feel strongly about.
There is no doubt that terrorism is a serious threat to Britain. However, the more we curtail our rights and freedoms, the more we let the terrorists win. And this curtailment of rights is exactly what is happening due to the government- and media-incited hysteria. It seems that it is getting increasingly hard to find a professional or semi-professional street photographer who has not been stopped by the police or security guards at least once.
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| Does taking this picture make me a terrorist? The station supervisor thought so. |
I take lots of tube stations - in addition to being an enthusiast myself, I run a quiz for others to identify stations based on unusual views of them, so I'm often taking photos of bits of stations that aren't often photographed. Combine this with street photography and although I'm careful not to take photos anywhere I shouldn't, I do regularly get stopped. Normally the police are polite and when I explain what I'm doing and show them my images they're fine and we both move on with nothing more said. Security guards however are a different matter, while you do get the polite ones who understand photography is not a crime, there are those that demand you delete your photos, leave the premises (I've even been told to leave the premises while on the public street!), etc.
As the I'm a Photographer Not a Terrorist group point out, nobody has the right to make you delete your images. Nobody. Not even a police officer. It requires a court order. The reason is simple, if you are commiting a crime by taking a photograph then the photograph is evidence of your crime – it is a serious criminal offence to destroy evidence, which is exactly what deleting such a photograph is. If you have not committed a crime then there are no lawful grounds for forcing you to delete a photograph.
Street photography is under threat, not from terrorism but from the fear of terrorism. Whenever there is a terrorist attack, the police are always asking for any members of the public to send them any photographs they have as they could provide useful clues. It's contradictions like this that mean “I'm a Photographer, Not A Terrorist” are sadly necessary.
And I've not even started on the accusations of being a paedophile as soon as you have your camera out in public place. Quite why photographing a tram means one is sexually attracted to children I still can't fathom!
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| "Stop taking photos of our kids you paedophile!" said a middle aged lady walking by as I took this shot. There were no children nearby as this was mid-afternoon on a school day. |
References:
Ekkleesia staff writers, "We're photographers not terrorists, say press freedom day activists", Ekklesia.co.uk 3 May 3011
Hughes, M and Taylor, J, "Warning: Do not take this picture", The Independent, 2 December 2009
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