Do you live in a climate of fear?

I mentioned Marc Vallee in the last post; now he and the NUJ has produced a film about the assaults, intimidation, spying and the general targeting that we UK photojournalists are being subjected to by the police on a daily basis.

What's most worrying is that the plod on the street simply doesn't seem to care if he breaks the law or not. Removing the offending journalist seems to be the task at hand at any public event nowadays - not securing the public or ensuring people's right to protest and for us to document it. Climate of fear? Yes - fear of fascism.

I know that there are many countries in which the situation is a lot worse, but for a country that tries to promote democracy and freedom around the world, it certainly doesn't look good.

The map above is from Reporters without Borders, click the image to see a larger version.

Lovemore and Wellington mosaic

A while ago I was asked by the NUJ to submit a photo of myself that was to be incorporated into a massive mosaic in support of Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibebe, the President and General Secretary respectively of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

On 30 July Lovemore and Wellington are due in court to face charges of what Mugabe's brutal regime call 'spreading falsehoods prejudicial to the state'. In fact they were speaking out about the state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe.

Their trial date has been postponed from their original trial on 23 June. As part of their extended bail conditions they are not allowed to address political or public gatherings. These charges and bail conditions are clear breaches of free speech and freedom to associate.

Read more and get involved here and here.

My mug can be seen in there too, #8 from top left.