Oh yeah, plus...

[denny]

I forgot to mention that I'm live on Sky News:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Climate-Camp-London-Liveblog/Article/200908415368880

And while I'm posting this morning, here's a bit of video footage that shows the Climate Camp just being set up - fencing being unloaded and raised - and some local police officers displaying their lack of knowledge of UK law as it pertains to filming policemen:
http://london.indymedia.org/videos/2001

Comments

[denny]

The police? They're in the wrong here. If you want I can find the Met's own guidance to officers, published in the last month or so, which they just violated.

They may well know what they can get away with, but the word 'legally' isn't a feature of that sentence. The guy with the video camera has grounds for a complaint.

[allsweetnessandlight]

the Met's own guidance to officers

. . . which isn't the law. So they were being rude? Well, tell people that it's film of policeman being rude and obstructive, then.

They may well know what they can get away with, but the word 'legally' isn't a feature of that sentence.

Don't be so pedantic. "They know what they can legally get away with", if you prefer. The guy can complain if he wants, but on the grounds of rudeness rather than illegality - unless it's now illegal for anyone (police or otherwise) to put their hand in front of a lens when they're being photographed.

[denny]

It is classed as assault, in fact - they physically interfered with him when he hadn't touched them.

It wouldn't go anywhere in court, of course. Unless it was the other way around, and a member of the public had his hand on a policeman's camera.

[allsweetnessandlight]

Assault? Touching someone's camera?

I'm not a lawyer, but I wouldn't have guessed so. The usual rule as I understand it is that you have to apply force to someone's person, or put them in reasonable fear of you immediately doing so. Does touching an object somebody's carrying really count?

[denny]

If someone grabbed a camera you were aiming at them, and you weren't in fear of what might happen next, then you're a braver man than I.

Particularly given the track record of the police lately.