There were banners, there were loudhailers, there were marching songs, but this wasn’t a protest. The police were nowhere to be seen. This was a cheerful, untroubled, hopeful ambience. Flowers and laughter. This was the Wilding Festival, a celebration of the suffragette movement and the 100th-year anniversary of the death of militant activist Emily Wilding Davison – the woman who lost her life after throwing herself in front of the king’s horse at the Epsom Derby to draw attention to the cause. A group of modern-day suffragettes had assembled on Saturday morning in Russell Square, dressed in the suffrage colours…
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Posts Tagged ‘anecdotes’
After a series of peaceful demonstrations for preserving a recreational area in Istanbul… … Turkish police attacked the protesters violently with tear gas and water cannon, directly targeting their faces and bodies… … Turkish media, directly controlled by the government or have business and political ties with it, refuse to cover the incidents. Press agencies have also blocked the information flow. Please share this message for the world to become aware of the police state created by AKP of Recep Tayyip Erdogan [the Turkish Prime Minister]… — Leaftlet handed out at the Turkish protest in London A sizeable gathering of…
I’ve been meaning to properly embark on my own 100 Strangers Project (see also 100 Strangers group on Flickr) since I’ve been engaging more with the people I’ve been shooting lately, but ‘normal’ street photography has been getting in the way. Or, if I were to be more honest, I’d say I simply lack the guts. Every time I went out with the intention of going beyond candids or smiling-and-shooting, I came back feeling defeated. This is Luke, who made things much easier by actually approaching me first, asking what I was finding so interesting on the other side of…
George Orwell’s 1984 leads to V for Vendetta leads to a bunch of Guy Fawkes-masked activists marching on the Houses of Parliament from Trafalgar Square this 5th of November. Lots of discontent, it seems, about the government’s failure to serve its people, the dismal state of the economy and the environment. Also something about the wars, social service, education, and a lot about Cameron; it’s everything rolled into one. “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” Possibly my most challenging reportage coverage yet – a nighttime protest! Again I set out…
“You cannot pass through here.” One of the stewards stepped to the side and blocked my way, “You have to go round the other side.” “But I’m not passing through,” I told him. “I’m here to cover the event.” A moment later, I was receiving a briefing from their media person, and then let loose into the crowd. Finally, after having photographed quite a number of protests and demonstrations, I was at ease in such situations. No fear, no hesitation, no waffling. Just gear up and shoot. Although I was not a bona fide photojournalist nor did I have any…