[Imc-g8-2005] Fwd: [G8arrestsupport] BBC: Police seize G8 disorder tapes

[Anarcho Babe]

To: g8arrestsupport at lists.aktivix.org
Subject: [G8arrestsupport] BBC:  Police seize G8 disorder tapes
Date: Mon, 05 Sep 2005 22:12:02 +0100


Police investigating disorder at the time of the G8 summit have used a
court order to seize TV footage from BBC Scotland and Scottish
Television.

It is understood they also have a warrant to take tapes from Sky.

Police viewed the footage in advance and then took 15 tapes from the BBC
offices in Edinburgh on Monday morning and 10 from STV.

Demonstrations and violent clashes over the week of the G8 summit at
Gleneagles in July led to 358 arrests.

BBC Scotland lawyer Alistair Bonnington said that the corporation objected  
to the breadth of material being requested.

He said: "We were successful in taking it right down to the minimum and  
also we managed to get the powers of search taken out of the warrant."

Mr Bonnington said there was only so much that could be done in the face  
of a warrant but he backed the idea of a stronger industry-wide strategy.

NUJ spokesman Paul Holleran told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland  
programme: "It needs to be seen that the press is at arms-length from the  
state and shouldn't be seen as a body that hands over material for  
information to the police just willy-nilly."

Mr Holleran called on stronger criteria to protect the press in such cases.

"That's the second part of our concern, the health and safety aspect of  
journalists who could be seen as being used by the police," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4217096.stm
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