PROTECTING PHOTOGRAPHY

Early day motion 251, tabled 6 June 2005 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 45 members.

That this House is concerned about the welfare of children and supportive of all efforts to protect their innocence, but nonetheless considers that recent panic measures against photographers taking entirely innocent pictures of children and young people in public places is both unnecessary and unfair; believes such interventions slur both photography and photographers, from professionals to amateurs, in ways which can only inhibit photography, as well as diminishing the joys of this people's art, and imputing guilt to the natural and desirable efforts of photographers to still time, and record the beauties of the UK; further believes that the Mayor of London should think again about his proposal to erect warning signs in parks, and his preposterous warnings that digital photography used to `photograph children in public places in London' is some kind of threat, and that this is calculated only to create fear of photographers and generate an unnecessary panic about any photography at all in public places, as if users of digital and camera phones are all potential paedophiles; and commends the campaign launched by Amateur Photographer to warn against such officious and official follies and to protect photographers in general from victimisation and any imputations of guilt, about taking pictures of children in whatever open public place they happen to be.

Signatures by party: Labour 20, Conservative 16, Liberal Democrat 9.