Saturday 23/01/10 - Photographers descended today en masse onto Trafalgar Square demonstrating in defence for the right to take pictures in public. The event, organised by the "I'm a Photographer not a Terrorist" movement, brought photographers to Trafalgar Square in large numbers in an unlicensed mass event that highlighted the plight of photographers and the undergoing erosion of civil liberties under controversial anti terrorism laws, most notably Section 44 of The Terrorism Act. Photographers, both professionals and amateurs including tourists, have been stopped, searched and have had personal details taken by police officers and police community support officers as well as having equipment cinfiscated with little to no evidence, or suspicion of being in breach of any laws. The misuse of the Terrorism Act in the United Kingdom has recently been ruled to be in breach of human rights by the European Court of Human Rights, as complaints have reached a record number, but the despite this the Home Office is seeking to appeal against the rulling. Among the demonstrators was professional architectural photographer Grant Smith, who was apprehended last year by several police officers while taking pictures in what was one of the most controversial cases of misuse of anti-terror laws. The event also counted with the presence of David Hoffman, a photographer whose career has spanned 30 years of journalistic focussing on social issues and particular the increasingly visible control that governments exert over the general public. Despite its high numbers was, the demonstration was peaceful and only one minor incident took place which did not result in any arrests.
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