Wednesday, March 05, 2008

BBC News

The BBC regularly reports instances of repression from around the world - instances such as the arrest of opposition activists in Moscow following the recent elections there. Yet similar events that occur in this country go completely unreported. Take for example the recent arrests of members of the Brixton-based group "Reclaim Your Food" for "anti-social behaviour".

www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/393028.html

or the arrest of Simon, a lone protestor outside Downing Street, under laws supposedly intended to tackle "serious and organised crime":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE4dvlkJCCo

or an incident in Birmingham when police forced a press photographer to delete images from the memory card in his camera in clear breach of ACPO police-press guidelines:

www.epuk.org/News/818/police-officer-forced-photographer-to-delete-images

These are just a few sample incidents that have occurred recently and it is quite clear that what used to be occasional and random instances of repression directed at protestors are becoming much more organised and systematic. If the BBC doesn't have the time or the inclination to show what is happening perhaps Russian t.v. might take an interest?