Photography at risk in more places than China

THE CONTRAST between the promises of “press freedom” at the Olympics and what actually went on in China during the games is undoubtedly of great interest to us all.

But really, was not John Ray’s waving of his press credentials at a policeman and indignant huffing puffing after he was jumped at a free-Tibet demo rather over the top? What did he expect from the Chinese?

Official hostility to photography is not confined to China. It is on the increase in our own great democracy. Does not the Journalist carry frequent reports of obstruction, harassment and even false arrest of British press photographers going about their lawful business?

Have not the London police run a ridiculous poster campaign, telling the public to be on the alert for “paedophiles or terrorists” armed with cameras? — as a result of which photographers are now being abused by members of the public or accosted by policemen imposing their own Prevention of Photography Act?

At a recent public festival in my London borough I saw the local newspaper photographer menaced into erasing his images from his camera by a tattooed, shaven-headed father who thought it a good idea to interfere on the grounds that a photograph of the happy crowd might include his young daughter. A policeman who was watching refused to intervene.

China presents an extreme example of photography-phobia but the same sort of attitude lurks here. Most policemen are uncomfortable with photography, unless they’re doing the photographing themselves.

As a retired TV journalist I can say that I have experienced the phenomenon, and particularly in London, for 40 years. It is time the NUJ mounted a strong, legal challenge to it all.

Michael Sullivan
London W13