Pete's Eats

I'm A Photographer Not A Terrorist Mass Gathering

I’m A Photographer Not A Terrorist are organising a mass gathering this coming Saturday in Trafalgar Square, London to protest against the increasingly common official police harassment of photographers in public places (pro or not).

Go check out the event page, sign up on the Facebook page and/or head to the protest with your camera if you can.

While we’re on the subject, you might also want to grab the excellent ‘Bust Card‘ (pdf) that the group produce and keep a printed copy of it with you for when you find yourself at the wrong end of a discussion with police (or PCSO’s) about what you can and can’t do with your camera in a public place.

Either way, remember they’re not your enemy and probably have a much less up to date knowledge of the laws applicable in these circumstances than you do. Be polite, state your rights when you choose to refuse something asked of you that’s not within their remit and then be even more polite afterwards maybe…

It can be daunting to many when confronted by police or pcso’s in these circumstances but I urge you to keep your cool but know your rights and exercise them accordingly.