April 29, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Act of Terror: arrested for filming police officers – video
from The Guardian:
When police carried out a routine stop-and-search of her boyfriend on the London Underground, Gemma Atkinson filmed the incident. She was detained, handcuffed and threatened with arrest. She launched a legal battle, which ended with the police settling the case in 2010. With the money from the settlement she funded the production of this animated film, which she says shows how her story and highlights police misuse of counterterrorism powers to restrict photography
This might be a United Kingdom story, but it’s not without precedent in this country. Police in the United States have arrested innocent bystanders for doing nothing more than recording the police, something that is completely legal. Photographers beware…hell, anyone with a smartphone beware — some police offers don’t want you recording them, and they will find whatever means, lawful or not, to make sure you comply.
This is just another example of the erosion of civil liberties I’ve been talking about in recent articles. In the aftermath of 9/11 and now the Boston Marathon bombing, we have allowed our country to become more militarized, a police state if you will, and it looks like the United States is not alone. Our friends across the pond are dealing with the fear that allows law enforcement to behave as if it has more power than it does.
The content previously published here has been withdrawn. We apologise for any inconvenience.
