Amateur UK photographer arrested for "prevention of terrorism"

July 13, 2009 @ 7:27PM

Amateur UK photographer arrested for "prevention of terrorism"

By Carlos Miller -...

Photo by Alex Turner

Another photographer was arrested under the United Kingdom’s new anti-terrorism law that has turned the simple act of photography into a lethal form of terrorism. At least that is what they’ll have you think.

This time it was Alex Turner, an amateur photographer who drew the attention of authorities after snapping the fish and chip shop in the above photograph.

The men who confronted him said they were from the Medway Council, which is apparently some type of government agency in Kent County. They were not in uniform but they wore badges on their belts that had the logo of Kent Police, according to Turner’s blog post of the incident.

But I guess they were not police either because they ended up flagging down police when he refused to provide his identity.

So as the cops asked the same old dumb questions as to why he was taking pictures, he snapped a photo of them. And that was when he was arrested.

Photo by Alex Turner

Or something like that. The blog post, while very detailed, is a little confusing and cumbersome. Maybe it’s that English vernacular

So he was placed in a police van for 20 minutes until a couple of plainclothes cops spoke to him about the dangers of terrorism and the perils of refusing to identify oneself.

But then he also writes that “at no time did I refuse to give an account for myself and my activities in the High Street” – so it is not clear whether he did or did not identify himself.

To make a long story short, he told them that his identification was in the inside pocket of his jacket, which they retrieved while he was handcuffed.

Then he was further patted down and even made to take off his sneakers, which embarrassed him considering he had become a spectacle to the gathering pedestrians.

Then after all was said and done, they released him and even offered their hands, but not before handing him a citation that confirmed he was searched on the grounds of “prevention of terrorism.”

So now he is pissed off and has fired a lengthy letter to the Professional Standards Department recounting his experience.

But he is also careful not to name any of the cops who harassed him because from what I understand, that would also be considered a savage act of terrorism. Notice how he also blurred their faces in the photo.

This is what he wants:

With regards to redress I seek a written apology in relation to any shortfalls identified with regards to the involved officer’s conduct and consideration of compensation to be made to me for the upset, embarrassment and psychological trauma caused. I would also like Kent and Medway Police to liaise with Medway Council in order to identify the two unidentified men that initially stopped and questioned me. I seek for their conduct to also be fully investigated, the process and outcomes of which I request to be shared with me.

The way things are going in the UK, those demands will probably be considered a barbaric act of terrorism as well.

Comments

Anonymous

2 years ago

I foresee a lot of arrests during the ’12 Olympics.

Anonymous

2 years ago

If you’re not allowed to identify the cops that just detained and searched you, that’s a pretty good sign that the real terrorists are the people running the government.

Anonymous

2 years ago

i better stop leaving comments on your blogs because i may be considered a terrorist.
This is so FU&$!^#@ RIDICULOUS…
UK is the total police state…and USA is slowly moving there.
WAKE UP PEOPLE…or sheeple…
1776 means something…

Anonymous

2 years ago

Isn’t questioning people who have cameras considered profiling?

Anonymous

2 years ago

Ricky, I totally agree America’s moving there. Especially after I was falsely arrested about a week ago for ” being two white people dressed in black in the wrong place” and having a bit of weed. My passenger and I were dressed in black because its our work uniform(Apparently, cops are dressed in something else once they get off work). We weren’t even pulled over. Just driving through an apartment complex and some cops were investigating a burglary. It’s obvious they thought we were the burglars so they increased our charge to first degree, having no evidence against us for the burglary. They stopped investigating directly after they apprehended us which is what leads me to beleive the above. There are plenty more details but I won’t go into it here. I just can’t wait to play the conversations I didn’t hear near the several police units investigating.

Anyway, back to the topic. I had no idea of this anti-terrorism law in the UK. Maybe Alex Turner was walking down the street with a freaking fake suicide bombers belt and camera around his neck. Some of these people are seriously beyond stupid. Stop arresting peaceful photographers!!! I can’t imagine what would happen if you photographed a police station under this new law.

Anonymous

2 years ago

I think ‘Council’ is City Council, local yokels who crap on Brits at the neighborhood level.

I googled ‘council littering fine’ and ‘council flat’ and got a lot of hits on these subjects. I also googled ‘council wankers’ and got a lot there as well.

Anonymous

2 years ago

Yep we can expect this in America soon, if it’s not already happening. It’s sad, but this is how freedom dies, and with the full support of the people seeking an elaborate choreographed show of security from their government, when they are capable of preventing nothing.

Anonymous

2 years ago

Where have you all been? You are writing on a blog. The same blog that, if politicians have their way, will cease to exist along with the privacy of your phone calls, emails etc. All for the sake of “national security”.

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/04/obama-doj-worse-than-bush

http://www.eff.org/issues/acta

http://www.eff.org/cases/eff-and-public-knowledge-v-ustr

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