Constantly Furious: photographer not a terrorist

Those bloody anti-terror laws; how did we come to let them in? It seems that every day they're abused and deliberately misinterpreted, by the state and by plod, to keep the sheep under control.

One of the most egregious abuses is the recent idea that anyone taking a photo of anything must be doing so not because they want a memento, but because they plan to blow it up at some later date.

Therefore, they are potential terrorists. Oh no! Therefore, under section 44 of the Terrorism Act, they must be stopped, arrested and their cameras confiscated.

What a load of hectoring, controlling, fascist state bollocks that is. What happened to the simple concept of a 'free country' for fuck's sake?

If CF wants to take a photo of something, he'll fucking well take a photo of it, and the police - or more often, the pretendy police, the PCSO - can fuck right off.

A group has been created to kick back against this insane over-empowerment of Plod, under the catchy name of "I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist!"

As PHNAT (yeah, that's what they call themselves) say on their website :

"Photography is under attack. Across the country it that seems anyone with a camera is being targeted as a potential terrorist, whether amateur or professional, whether landscape, architectural or street photographer"

Fucking right. They also point the glaring failure of logic underlying this stupidity:

"creation of the collective visual history of our country is extinguished by anti-terrorist legislation designed to protect the heritage it prevents us recording"

But more fundamentally, why the fuck can't we take a photo of anything we can see without the heavy hand of the state falling onto our shoulders?

But that's just not happening in the real world: a press photographer covering - gawd 'elp us - 'campaigning Santas' at City Airport was arrested.

A BBC photographer was stopped and searched for pointing his camera - along with several hundred tourists - at St Paul's Cathedral.

And in one of the most outstanding pieces of fuckwittery yet, seven - seven? - armed - fucking armed? - police grabbed an architectural photographer in the City of London, for the crime of photographing a steeple at the ruined Christ church in Newgate. Dear God.

Well, PHNAT aren't going to take this shit anymore. They've planned a demonstration for tomorrow. Saturday January 23rd, on Trafalgar Square at noon. "In defence of street photography". Jesus H. Christ, that it should come to this - defending our right to use a camera outdoors.

Get down there tomorrow, if you're able. Exercise your rights; take some pictures.

And tell the Nanny State, and all her plastic plods, to fuck right off.