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Fitwatch brings you - Policewatch Competition

hamishcampbell

New Member
Roll up, Roll up!

Defend civil liberties and have a laugh at the same time, with

Policewatch
or
Filming them Filming us Filming them etc

It's yer once-in-a-lifetime chance to win War on Terror, the only game with suicide bombers, political kidnaps, intercontinental war, filthy propaganda, rampant paranoia and secret treaties.......

All you have to do is send us your videos or photos of the
British constabulary's finest moments.

Why?
On 16th February 2009 the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 comes into operation, which threatens to make it illegal to take a photo of a police officer, or to “elicit information” about them. So bang goes alerting people to cops spying on peaceful protestors, and bang, clunk go journalists investigating police corruption or malpractice.

How?
Fitwatch is launching a competition which will give a copy of the award-winning
http://waronterrortheboardgame.com/ to the winner of each of three different categories:

1. Scary – for the most shocking bit of police abuse recorded. Dixon of Dock Green it ain't!
2. Funny – for the most piss-yourself classic copper moment.
3. Effective – Did you make the police help you with your inquiries? - for the pictures which proved a case against the police or had most success in defending civil liberties (please tell us what it did).
You can enter still images or video footage. Just post them on flickr (preferred for stills), blip.tv (preferred for video), youtube or anywhere else (please put the tags “visionontv” and “fitwatch”) – then send us a link.

We welcome images from anywhere in the world, but only the best of the British constabulary can win a prize.

For more detailed stuff on how to make your images available, go to the bottom of this page.

Where?
On 16th February, the first day of the new legislation, http://visionon.tv's Policewatch series commences. Films and photos submitted to the Fitwatch competition will feature in this series on visionOntv's grassroots channel.

When?
Closing date for entries: April 9th 2009
Winners declared: April 16th 2009 – the two-month anniversary of the new legislation

Who?
http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com is a group of people who have come together to resist and oppose the tactics of the Forward Intelligence Teams (cops who harass protesters).

We aim to act in solidarity with each other, supporting campaigns by being at meetings and protests, making it harder for the police to film and gather intelligence.

We get in the way of their cameras, taking photos and publishing as much information as we can about them on our blog.

http://visionon.tv is a new online TV station from http://www.undercurrents.org/. It has all the ease-of-use of mainstream TV, but with content that is very very different.
To watch the whole of the Policewatch series, plus the best of activist video from around the world and a whole lot more, go to http://visionon.tv. On this link you can watch the streaming version, but to get the full TV experience download the player app and enjoy!

Please email info@visionontv.net for further info on the Policewatch series.

If any police officer would like more information on the Policewatch competition, please contact <a href=”http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com”>Fitwatch</a>, as it is not an organisation, and has no spokespeople.

How? part 2
We strongly recommend giving your pictures a http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses, so they can be distibuted as widely as possible. Please let us know which license you prefer.
The creative commons license we advise choosing is “Non-Commercial Share Alike” – which allows people to use your footage for anything non-commercial, and as long as they release it under the same license. That's what visionOntv puts its own films under.

Come along now, you've had your fun!
 
Why?
On 16th February 2009 the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 comes into operation, which threatens to make it illegal to take a photo of a police officer, or to “elicit information” about them. So bang goes alerting people to cops spying on peaceful protestors, and bang, clunk go journalists investigating police corruption or malpractice.

What does this cover exactly, for example if you were being questioned and wanted to make a complaint about the policeman then would you still be able to get the name of the policeman? If not then this law is open to all kinds of abuse. It means that policemen cannot be traced and can do whatever they want with no threat of punishment. This is really serious.
 
76Offences relating to information about members of armed forces etc
(1)After section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (collection of information) insert—
“58AEliciting, publishing or communicating information about members of armed forces etc
(1)A person commits an offence who—
(a)elicits or attempts to elicit information about an individual who is or has been—
(i)a member of Her Majesty’s forces,
(ii)a member of any of the intelligence services, or
(iii)a constable,which is of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, or
(b)publishes or communicates any such information.
(2)It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that they had a reasonable excuse for their action.
(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or to a fine, or to both;
(b)on summary conviction—
(i)in England and Wales or Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both;
(ii)in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both.
(4)In this section “the intelligence services” means the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and GCHQ (within the meaning of section 3 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 (c. 13)).
(5)Schedule 8A to this Act contains supplementary provisions relating to the offence under this section.”.
(2)In the application of section 58A in England and Wales in relation to an offence committed before the commencement of section 154(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44) the reference in subsection (3)(b)(i) to 12 months is to be read as a reference to 6 months.
(3)In section 118 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (c. 11) (defences), in subsection (5)(a) after “58,” insert “58A,”.
(4)After Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 insert the Schedule set out in Schedule 8 to this Act./QUOTE]

from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080028_en_9#pt7-pb3-l1g76 seems the closest fit to what is being talked about. It does seem to be stretching it a bit to put Fitwatche's interpretation on the legislation BUT looking at the way that terrorism legislation has been (mis)used in the past few years we can probably expect the worst and then double it.

It is, as seems to be the case with so much recent legislation, horribly drafted. 58A1) a) and b) are worded so that a person could be found guilty even if they had no intention of helping terrorists, it could even apply to a tourist videoing the changing of the Guard.

I suppose this is what comes of having the second chamber full of incompetents and the corrupt. I am sure that if the law covered the sale of sweets to children it would contain more legal safeguards due to manufacturer and retailer's representatives having their direct input into the legislation.
 
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