While I appreciate the officer in this situation (And a lot of other situations that we're witnessing) is completely out of line, the photographer could have resolved this situation (And nearly every other one) by simply stating 'I'm a hobbyist photographer, I take photos because I enjoy taking photos" or "I'm a photographer, I'm earning a living from taking photographs". Hand over your ID, and be more than pleasant with the police officers involved. If you've got nothing to hide, then it's nothing more than a simple stop and account, a delay of 3 minutes rather than 20 minutes, and you're on your way.

A smile and a brief friendly chat will take you a lot further than telling an officer you're an activist of any kind or refusing to co-operate.

hmm. Overzealous cop meets abrasive photographer. the cop is well within his rights to detain him for the reasons he gives - thing is he's a bit of a spanner so the photographer goads him into nicking him by being difficult. He could have been out of there in 30 seconds had he not wanted to wind the cop up for the benefit of his microphone

Yes, the tog could have been a little less 'full on', but it does illustrate a point that we need as photographers to address:

There is no reason at all why we should have to justify our taking of pictures in a public space.

The sad thing is that, before we know it, us photographers will be hounded at every turn by Daily Mail reading imbeciles who see paedophiles and terrorists around every corner.