Innocent Photograph or Terrorist?

[DaisyChain]

As a photographer myself, i think this is a bit over the top to say the least, its a poster from London Met.

There seems to be increasing occurences of people being stopped for taking photographs by security and police.

I think its mental state, when people can access maps, and google photographic maps of areas quite freely, yet amatuer photographers are being pulled over if they are deemed suspicious.

theres more of a story here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7351252.stm

[bitzunbobz]

Its merely a cover to convince all the sheeple of this once great country that every other person is a terrorist so please divulge all your personal info (and pay handsomly for the privilige too) to receive a plastic card so you can feel 'safe'. Terrorists. Im more scared of having eight bullets through my brain by the police should I not hear thier commands to stop (I am deaf). Wake up and wake up quick. You may not see any bars, but we live in a vast open prison nowadays.

[PATRIOT73]

well after the events in bristol today.......its not ott
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7355402.stm

[damian_steele]

I think that if every action which could possibly be performed by someone planning to break the law was made illegal, then we'd all end up in empty cells scared to do anything at all.

What is next for us? Will we become too scared, and in fear of being arrested, to even drive near anything which the authorities could imagine as a potential terrorist target?

Should we give up any jobs or hobbies which bring us into contact with people who might just have skills or knowledge that could be beneficial to a potential terrorist for fear that we may be arrested for building a terrorist network?

I'm willing to bet that I could walk into any of your homes and find items which could be deemed as potentially helpful to a terrorist. We ALL have things which could cause fires, go bang, kill people or be used in the planning of a crime/terrorist attack.

So just how paranoid are we willing to allow the authorities to get? Should we all suffer just because an absolutely tiny percentage of the population are twisted enough to perform terrorist acts? I think not.

[Cocksparrer]

I agree with bitzunbobz............we live in a Police & Spy state as it is. As for photographing well we're not even allowed to photograph our own children on sports day, plays at school, birthday parties that are away from home & in a haired environment. If we got caught taking photos of otehr peeps regardless of whether we suspected them or not, we would be arrested or something stupid about Human rights. Like those fools in prision, go in as a junkie & get better, set free & sue for their human right to be a junkie in the first place.

You cant win..................

[bitzunbobz]

PATRIOT73 - Do you really believe all what you read in the papers and hear on the news? A comment in the link you provided says they took something away and blew it up to analyse it. Explosions tend to destroy things. Was there all this paranoia when the IRA were active. And they were active. A few scare stories at very convenient times. The govt etc say they know of (i think) 200 'terror' plots being planned right now but dont seem to know who is planning it or what they are planning, otherwise wouldnt there be arrests. Our once free and liberal society is almost as repressive as, say, Saudi Arabia, so the 'terrorists' have already won. Do you really want to live in a society where the govt can simply switch off your life by cancelling your ID card? The govt serves YOU. You do not serve it.

[DaisyChain]

well after the events in bristol today.......its not ott
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7355402.stm

its still very much OTT, shopping people for taking photographs because they may be acting "suspicious" will not stop terrorism. Also, people are being stopped merely for taking pictures at times, with idiot PCSO telling people they cant film here or there which is nonsense, as every person has the right to film in a public place.


I like how the BBc website like mention that the guy in the story is a "muslim convert", does that automatically mean he is a terror suspect?. and also

"Mr Ibrahim, who moved into the area three weeks ago, is understood to have recently converted to Islam."

So what? i dont care if the guy is muslim, christian or jewish.............next time some chavvie kid kills a cat or whatever, see if it mentions:

"darren, a white male who never practives any religion"

[cpeuf1]

I take photos too, to put on photo-libraries (when they accept them...) and I have to admit I am a bit worried. I try to avoid taking photos of people as I need to have a consent from them, but with this, if I take photos of a building in an empty street, will I get arrested? What about tourists? Are we going to arrest them too if they take a photo of the House of Parlement or Buckingham Palace?
On another note I cannot stop thinking of one of the most famous science fiction movie of all time, and how fear brings the world to loose their freedom as the elected senate gives full power to the head of the senate who is the biggest tyrant, because he promises safety... Is science fiction becoming real? Are we ready to sell our freedom for a so called safety?

[cvd]

If it wasn't for photographers, the RCMP wouldn't be always on trial (quite a few convictions now too) for various corruption/cover up allegations.

Terrorism has NOTHING to do with why they want to stop us from taking pictures