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Freedom to protest. Freedom of the press?

Thu Sep 03 03:04PM

Last week, I was put on "Climate Camp" watch along with fellow AFP photographer and good friend Shaun Curry. Based at Blackheath in southeast London, the week-long camp, which ended yesterday, sought to highlight environmental and other issues.

Following a few days of media hype with demonstrators refusing to give any information on their planned location, and the police offering "community-style" policing if the demonstrators were to cooperate, we went to our pre-arranged meeting points.
I headed to the headquarters of Rio Tinto where the 70 or so protestors sat around waiting until we finally got the go-ahead and travelled via tube and train to the mystery final destination.

Before we started to move, all of the media were handed "guidelines" and here is where I started to get annoyed. A few days months ago, the same protest groups were falling over themselves to get images and video from members of the media following the trouble at the Mayday demonstrations in central London.

Now they were imposing restrictions.

Firstly, it should be pointed out that the site of the climate camp is Blackheath which is public common land. This means that it's open for the public to access and enjoy at all times. But no. Access would only be granted to the media during certain hours, and when accompanied by "an assigned camper".

Outside of these hours, there will also be a particular spot close to the entrance to which TV crews can be escorted to do interviews.

What?

Journalists would, however, be banned from certain parts of the heath, public land though it was.

This is not because these areas have ‘anything to hide' but because the camp process respects the right of those neighbourhoods and working groups who don't feel comfortable engaging with the media.

Again, I'm not allowed to go to certain areas of this publicly-owned land because some people have decided that the laws that cover media access and control for every other part of society don't apply. However, if they decide that they now want publicity, they have the right to suddenly beckon the journalists in to record their views.

In another sheet, we were told that "you must display your press badge at all times". So it's fine to retain your anonymity if you're a protestor but not if you're media. ID cards anyone?

UK law says if someone is in public, and not on private property, and as long as they're over 16, you're free to take whatever pictures you want.

That is an important part of freedom of expression. These rules and regulations are far tighter than those of the governing bodies many of the protestors were protesting against.

At home, I have eco-bulbs, I reuse my shopping bags, I never use the standby function on my TV and I use public transport. However, I now really feel like buying a Hummer...

In this blog, journalists of global news wire AFP blog about the news they report and the challenges they face covering events from Baghdad to Beijing, the White House to Darfur. Leon Neal is a photographer for AFP in London.

Comments1 - 10 of 147

  1. you dork of course they did not want you there undercover because you lie and
    manipulate in order to get your story even if it involves entrapping some innocent
    protester into doing or saying something dodgy so that you can run a story about
    the law breaking anachists amongst the protestors. @#$%s like you are not to be
    trusted and this is of your own doing when you all decided that the sensational
    nature of a story was more important than the truth. you are doing it now with
    this stupid childish article, these people are there for a real purpose not to
    stroke the egos of arrogant press reporters, they have got your handle mate and
    understand how lowlifes oporate they are not impressed by your press pass and
    don't want their 15 mins of fame, so you throw all the toys out of your pram. grow
    up man and get a life, or a job that you can be proud of.

    nicaisle From nicaisle on Thu Sep 03 03:28PM

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  2. Indeed. I my self feel that having to have ANY kind of press pass is taking the micky. It is hard enough for people of many trades to work as self employed, Never mind having to register to some kind of union to get a pass to be a reporter. It is the job of all human kind to report what they see in a clear and objective way. If you want to hold a gig in public space then you must expect full access from reporters of all kinds. And what a prime example of a place to not break the law, in case you were worried about being filmed smoking any thing you should not be smoking. But yes, at the same time, I do not blame you for NOT TRUSTING the POLICE in ANY WAY what so ever.

    ross.birch@ymail.com From ross.birch@ymail.com on Thu Sep 03 03:39PM

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  3. "At home, I have eco-bulbs, I reuse my shopping bags, I never use the standby function on my TV and I use public transport. However, I now really feel like buying a Hummer..."

    Are you allowed to call someone a "nob" on this forum? Leon Neal - you appear to be a pointless, petulant excuse for a journalist, and have filed a steaming great turd of an article which is poor even by Yahoo News standards.

    What's the real agenda here? You had your camera seized for pointing the long-lens into someone's bedroom window a couple of times too many?

    Diddums.

    avinabacca From avinabacca on Thu Sep 03 03:41PM

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  4. I have a degree of ambivalence towards this report. On the one hand I find most of these eco-mentalists (to steal a delightful word from Jeremy Clarkeson) to be blinkered, sanctimonious prigs. On the other hand I wouldn't trust the average journalist to report on how I tie my shoe laces without looking for a sensationalist angle.

    All in all, it sounds like this lot deserved each other.

    schrage.musik From schrage.musik on Thu Sep 03 03:44PM

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  5. Why would you want to waste your life getting photos and interviewing the brainwashed muppets of the middle class hysteria worshippers.They wouldn't want anyone to see the orgies and drug taking,followed with more inane drivel spewed as the Climate Gospel.WILL SOMEBODY NOT TELL THESE IDIOTS THE PLANET HAS BEEN COOLING FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS!!!!

    goldenbeast69 From goldenbeast69 on Thu Sep 03 03:50PM

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  6. What happened to peoples right to carry on their normal lives? These protestors cause a great deal of disruption and opresion to normal people just trying to get on. What gives them such special rights? How come so few get arrested for assault when they forcefully obstruct people from entering a park or a building?

    jamesgwild From jamesgwild on Thu Sep 03 04:03PM

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  7. They are just a bunch of 'Hoorays' trying to be radical - Their cause is futile and reporting of them is Pointless!

    garenacreman From garenacreman on Thu Sep 03 04:21PM

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  8. reply to nicaisle WELL YOU REALY HAVE GOT YOUR NIC A S IN A TWIST. THE PIONT WAS THAT ANY ONE CAN MOVE FREELY ON PUBLIC LAND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE LIEING TOADS OF JOURNALISTS.
    AND AREN'T THE DEMONSTRATORS MIMICING EXACTLY THE ESTABLISHMENT THEIR, THERE TO DENOUCE.
    MOST OF THESE SO CALLED "DEMONSTRATOR ARE BORED LITTLE RICH KIDS THAT SHOULD BE IN COLLEGE GETTING THE ECDUCATION THATS BEEN PAID FOR BY US BORING HARD WORKING TAX PAYERS.
    THE REST ARE BENEFIT RECEIVING PROFFESIONALS WHO DO NOTHING BUT GO AROUND MAKEING TROUBLE.
    SHAME THEY DONT USE WATER CANNONS ON THIS LOT LIKE THEY DO ON THE CONTINENT AND THROW IN SOME SOAP TO BOOT.
    BUT ITS JUST A WASTE OF TIME AND PISSES OFF THE POLICE.
    THE GOVERNMENT TAKE NO NOTICE AT ALL !

    apollo11207 From apollo11207 on Thu Sep 03 04:22PM

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  9. Freedom rather depends on which side of the fence you sit. It is worrying that a group of protestors can restrict access to public places. There again, how much freedom is allowed to those those who belong to a certain British political party? These British citizens, are not allowed to belong to a trade union, nor be a member of our police force, nor attend a tea party at Buckingham Palace. Yet these are British people born and bred who are being discriminated against. Yet when it suits the press, the same press who call for a ban on this particular political party, they express self-righteous indignation at the thought of being restricted.
    You cannot have it both ways. Either we have a free country or we have something else. At the moment it seems we are well and truly on the road to that other place.

    mkierznowski From mkierznowski on Thu Sep 03 04:31PM

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  10. yes if something gets up your nose you should be able to have a protest about it lots of men in great britain were sent to there deaths in world war 1 and 2 suposed to be firting for freedom but watching world war 1 in colour last night we could have sat back and let europe implode but government didnt want to miss out on being part of it so these men went to war on false pretences so you should excersize your right to an opinion of freespeech then they didnt day in vein

    johnwhitton1 From johnwhitton1 on Thu Sep 03 04:54PM

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