Press associations weighing options after G20 police abuses
Press photographers' organisations have documented several instances of police officers abusing their powers during last week's G20 protests, BJP has learnt.
While the National Union of Journalists and the British Press Photographers' Association praised positive interactions between police forces and press photographers, both organisations condemned several abuses at the 01 April protests in the City of London.
'We're unhappy that photographers were pinned in with the demonstrators during the Bank protests,' says NUJ freelance organiser John Toner. 'It appeared that if photographers wanted to leave the area, they first had to agree to be photographed. We find this unacceptable,' he says.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police tells BJP that police forces, in attempt to keep certain groups of protesters apart, separated the protesters. 'Those who wanted to leave could,' she says. 'However, with 200 people, among the 5000 to 6000 demonstrators, intent on causing trouble, police officers were charged with obtaining the best evidence of the worst offences, leading them to take photos of anyone leaving the area, even press photographers.'
The police also used Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to prevent journalists and photographers from covering certain operations. 'A whole group of journalists was by the Bank tube station at one point,' BPPA's chairman Jeff Moore tells BJP. 'The officers were using police dogs on one side to snatch and arrest people on the other side. The police walked up to us and asked us to move away or we would be arrested under Section 14 of the Public Order Act.'
Section 14 gives police the power to impose conditions on assemblies 'to prevent serious public disorder, serious criminal damage or serious disruption to the life of the community'. Under the act, the police can impose the location and duration of a public assembly, as well as the number of people taking part in it.
'When we protested the decision, we were given the number of a press officer who only sympathised with us and said it was a police matter,' says Moore. 'Once the operation was over, they put us in a lovely spot, but it was too late and too far away.'
The NUJ is expected to discuss these incidents with the Metropolitan Police and the Home Officer, according to Toner. 'Overall the police was helpful, but there were these very serious and unacceptable problems and we intend to take these up,' he says.
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