Four photographers arrested under section 41

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Surely its better for the police to be safe rather than sorry.

Its not the way it shoudl be, we should all be free to photograph whatever we like, but sadly its now teh way of teh world.
 
hollis_f said:
Which means it could be semtex, dope, coriander or marzipan.

I suspect you're wrong. Of course, the only way we'll finf out that you were wrong is when one of the papers carry a 2-inch column on page 12 reporting their release and the return of their coriander.
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If there was nothing to this I doubt they'd have the uk's leading counter terrorist officers searching all their addresses. If it was innocent then that would have been bottomed out very quickly. There is certainly more to it than anyone outside of the operation will know about, and probably never will... Why is everyone so cynical, we should be grateful that the uk's biggest terror threat site is being vigorously protected. We should be congratulating them surely? If that went up the whole of Europe would be effected.

Of course, this could have been some kind of set up publicity stunt by those detained but I doubt it.
 
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Regardless of the photographer's race, colour or religion all Licensed Nuclear Sites are declared by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 Schedule 1 Security Provisions Applicable by Order under S.2 to be Prohibited Places under section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. This makes it illegal to collect, record, publish, or communicate to any other person photographs or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy. Pretty wide power but not one we hear of being used without some justification.
 
Obviously there must have been language difficulties that caused the delay in the quick resolution of the matter. The Cumbrian/Manchester police only being fluent in norvern and the detained speaking fluent suvern.

I can't think of any other possible reason :thinking:
 
They would have saved a lot of hassle if they just put "Sellafield MOX Plant" into google maps and had a nose around the perimeter from the comfort of their home.
 
odd jim said:
If there was nothing to this I doubt they'd have the uk's leading counter terrorist officers searching all their addresses. If it was innocent then that would have been bottomed out very quickly. There is certainly more to it than anyone outside of the operation will know about, and probably never will... Why is everyone so cynical, we should be grateful that the uk's biggest terror threat site is being vigorously protected. We should be congratulating them surely? If that went up the whole of Europe would be effected.

Of course, this could have been some kind of set up publicity stunt by those detained but I doubt it.
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You sure about that :D
 
Alastair said:
Obviously there must have been language difficulties that caused the delay in the quick resolution of the matter. The Cumbrian/Manchester police only being fluent in norvern and the detained speaking fluent suvern.

I can't think of any other possible reason :thinking:
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You must be right. I mean the only other possible explanation is that a bunch of racist morons in uniform decided that being non-white and in possession of a possible camera is grounds for locking a bunch of guys up overnight. And how likely is that?
 
swanseamale47 said:
You sure about that :D
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Lol, ah well they deserved to be detained for being incredibly stupid!
 
odd jim said:
Lol, ah well they deserved to be detained for being incredibly stupid!
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I'm not sure stupidity is a good reason for being banged up, but I have to argree it maybe wasn't the cleverest place to go snapping in the circumstances.
 
I just hope they realise how stupid they are.
Can we lower the threat level now?
 
swanseamale47 said:
I'm not sure stupidity is a good reason for being banged up, but I have to argree it maybe wasn't the cleverest place to go snapping in the circumstances.
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I agree, but I still stand by original point that I'd rather they were proactive and dealing with suspicious incidents around establishments such as Sellafield rather than turn a blind eye.

And it doesnt take a genius to work out that taking pics if Sellafield in this climate is a very bad idea in the extreme!!
 
odd jim said:
I agree, but I still stand by original point that I'd rather they were proactive and dealing with suspicious incidents around establishments such as Sellafield rather than turn a blind eye.

And it doesnt take a genius to work out that taking pics if Sellafield in this climate is a very bad idea in the extreme!!
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Can't argue with that.
 
POAH said:
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh

Jadid al Qaeda

Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh
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Never heard of any of them :)
 
They were arrested within hours of the bin laden announcement. Poor guys were probably not aware of it.

Not everyone spends all their day on the internet. :)
 
hollis_f said:
You must be right. I mean the only other possible explanation is that a bunch of racist morons in uniform decided that being non-white and in possession of a possible camera is grounds for locking a bunch of guys up overnight. And how likely is that?
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You've got to wonder at some people's thought processes.

If there had been a terrorist incident at the plant and no-one had been caught, I also wonder who would be saying "where were the authorities, what were they doing, sitting drinking tea I suppose"
 
This is in Cumbria remember, where a couple of years ago a police sergeant at a public meeting in Kirkby Lonsdale (my home town) told people that ANY sightings of young Asian men should be reported to the police.

That's not 'young Asian men acting suspiciously' by the way, just anyone Asian. Mind you according to some in this thread that's perfectly fine. :cuckoo:
 
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grum said:
This is in Cumbria remember, where a couple of years ago a police sergeant at a public meeting in Kirkby Lonsdale (my home town) told people that ANY sightings of young Asian men should be reported to the police.

That's not 'young Asian men acting suspiciously' by the way, just anyone Asian. Mind you according to some in this thread that's perfectly fine. :cuckoo:
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:clap:
 
British Intelligence have been investigating a sinister plot planned to unleash untold discomfort to the British public. Messages about good and bad Karma proliferating on the Internet are a thinly disguised code for a substance designed for ingestion by it's victims, whose real name is Korma. This can be manufactured in most domestic kitchens and can have serious consequences for those whose bodies have not developed a natural immunity to it.

A worrying development is one codenamed "M" (Madras) believed to originate in the Indian sub continent, incontinence being a common symptom of those sufferers afflicted. Of even more concern is the development of weapons grade material believed to be distributed near Waterloo station codenamed "Vindaloo" the after effects of this can be totally debilitating with regular disruption of the normal bodily functions of it's victims. The "asian" warning is therefore particularly pertinent at this time. :D
 
I think some people are missing the point. At the moment we are on fairly high alert and are expecting retaliation from certain terrorist organisations. Now, considering that these organisations are Islamic extremists from the middle east I'd be very surprised if many of its members were white, or Chinese, or Caribbean for that matter.

Likewise if it were the IRA involved then I doubt the police would be too interested if someone in full sikh dress as chances are they're not an Irish terrorist.
 
Toggerman said:
Now, considering that these organisations are Islamic extremists from the middle east I'd be very surprised if many of its members were white, or Chinese, or Caribbean for that matter.
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Be surprised then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Lindsay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid_(shoe_bomber)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...hite-al-Qaeda-pair-in-Pakistan-mountains.html

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2011/04/17/white-al-qaeda-in-kosovo/

etc., etc.
 
We're all guessing, really.

The intelligence services of most of the world by now, probably, have a very clear idea of who they want and need, given the intel they will have got from the surveilance of the compound and the raid itself.

Seems to me there are going to be quite a few people "accidentally" killed by runaway lorries and stray bullets from totally unconnected fire fights in the very near future. :)

Plus a few high profile targets, like the most wanted AQ number 2 suffering very strange demises.
 
Toggerman said:
Now, considering that these organisations are Islamic extremists from the middle east I'd be very surprised if many of its members were white, or Chinese, or Caribbean for that matter.
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Musicman said:
Be surprised then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Lindsay
1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid_(shoe_bomber)
1

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...hite-al-Qaeda-pair-in-Pakistan-mountains.html
2

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2011/04/17/white-al-qaeda-in-kosovo/
Ok there's a few in there
etc., etc.
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So you honestly think that the vast majority of the Taliban/Al-Qaueda aren't middle eastern?
 
DazJW said:
BBC reporting that all five have been released without charge.
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The BBC understands the men had been taking photographs.

Would anybody like to place some bets on the equipment they were using for 'taking photographs'?

Medium format: 1,000,000,000 to 1
Full frame dSLR with 500mm f4: 1,000,000 to 1
Prosumer dSLR with 75-300mm: 1,000 to 1
Cheap dSLR with kit lens: 100: to 1
Camera phone: 1 to 1,000,000


So four mates drove up from London, leaving before the news about bin Laden was announced, and spend the night in the midlle of nowhere. The next morning, almost certainly still oblivious to the day's news because they've not been to the 2 square feet of cumbria that has a mobile signal, they go for a drive and use their iPhones to take snaps of each other gurning at sheep. Suddenly PC Goebbels drives past, notices their unusual suntans and the fact that four non-whites are in a car and leaps into heroic action.
 
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hollis_f said:
The BBC understands the men had been taking photographs.

Would anybody like to place some bets on the equipment they were using for 'taking photographs'?

Medium format: 1,000,000,000 to 1
Full frame dSLR with 500mm f4: 1,000,000 to 1
Prosumer dSLR with 75-300mm: 1,000 to 1
Cheap dSLR with kit lens: 100: to 1
Camera phone: 1 to 1,000,000


So four mates drove up from London, leaving before the news about bin Laden was announced, and spend the night in the midlle of nowhere. The next morning, almost certainly still oblivious to the day's news because they've not been to the 2 square feet of cumbria that has a mobile signal, they go for a drive and use their iPhones to take snaps of each other gurning at sheep. Suddenly PC Goebbels drives past, notices their unusual suntans and the fact that four non-whites are in a car and leaps into heroic action.
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ROFLMAO. :lol:
 
Toggerman said:
So you honestly think that the vast majority of the Taliban/Al-Qaueda aren't middle eastern?
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They were British-Bangladeshis. Neither Britain nor Bangladesh is in the Middle East.

So, if the (quite frankly racist) reasoning that anyone from the Middle East deserved to be stopped for being in possession of camera was correct, the gentlemen in question wouldn't have fitted the description anyway.
 
Splog said:
Is judging people by the the colour of their skin really so wrong? We judge people all the time.... what they wear, what they drive, where they live... etc, etc.

Like it or not the moral values applied by different races are very, very different and it all comes down to religion and upbringing :shrug: ...... My point being that we all make judgements on how we think people may be, how they may act and how they think.....
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In other words, some of us are racist and some aren't.......I must say it's brave of someone to admit they are. :)
 
goldenlight said:
In other words, some of us are racist and some aren't.......I must say it's brave of someone to admit they are. :)
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Why's that racist? ..... it's fact :thinking:
 
Splog said:
Why's that racist? ..... it's fact :thinking:
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Maybe I'm missing something or not understanding the words and, if so, I apologize. I keep re-reading, but how is it not racist? :shrug:
 
goldenlight said:
Maybe I'm missing something or not understanding the words and, if so, I apologize. I keep re-reading, but how is it not racist? :shrug:
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No need to apologise ;) ..... We all make judgements about people or form opinions if you prefer? When we first see or meet someone those first impressions, judgements, opinions give us information on how to deal with them, what to say etc....... Racism may be a result of how you deal with that information but to dismiss the fact that someone is of a different race and could have different values, religion or even language would be foolhardy.....

Read this in the context of the thread
 
jamesoliverstone said:
Fluff it up however you like, still sounds racist to me.
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Isn't this the same arguement about 18-24 year old men having to pay double (or more) car insurance than females in the same age group?

There is fact to back up that 18-24 year old men cost insurance companies more in claims than any other age group.

Now lets translate to the current situation......

How many white males (or females) were responsible for 9/11?

How many white males (or females) were responsible for 7/7?

How many white males (or females) were responsible for the Mumbai masacre?

How many white males (or females) were responsible for the Bali bombing?

Now I'm not saying all non-white people are terrorists, I'm merely pointing out that the majority of terrorist attacks in the last 10 years have typically been carried out by people of Asian/Arabic descent, that is a fact.

Lets go back to the days of the IRA, I think it's fair to say that anyone with an Irish accent looking a bit shifty was under suspicion.

Another fact is that a number of Islamic extremists keep reminding us that we're evil and will die (at their hands) so I don't think it's unreasonable to suspect people that fit a general description if their behaviour is suspicious.

Yes it's unfortunately for the vast majority of non-extremist, law-abiding Muslims but isn't it usually the case of a minority spoiling it for the majority?

Let's rewind to Monday with the Bangladeshi guys mooching around Sellafield, let's say they went unchallenged and in a week's time there was a big mushroom-cloud where the powerstation used to be and the police involved said "Oh yeah, there were some Asian dudes taking photos a week or so ago but we thought it would be wrong to suspect them of any wrong-doing so we didn't challenge them".

I think the public outrage might be a little greater in that situation ;)
 
I have had to put up with racism and bullying all my life because of the colour of my skin, and this was happening before any of these events took place. I grew up as the only black child in the village and town where I spent my childhood with people pre judging me based on the colour of my skin. Even though I am British with a very British accent, that didn't matter.

People can use whatever facts they like to justify their actions, but judging a person based on their skin colour, ethnicity or religion etc is racist.

Even after the atrocities mentioned above, that gives you no right to suspect me of anything without evidence just because I might look like some dodgy black dude with a camera.
 
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Just playing devils advocate.....does anyone know how long they can hold people without charge these days, for suspected terrorist charges? maybe they had to release them as they couldn't prove anything.

I still think they were quite possibly just some mates on a trip out, but the arrest and then moving of them suggests the rozzers had some strong suspicions, it wasn't just keeping them overnight as they couldnt processes them quick enough.
 
jamesoliverstone said:
Even after the atrocities mentioned above, that gives you no right to suspect me of anything without evidence just because I might look like some dodgy black dude with a camera.
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I didn't say that though..........

Behaviour comes into play too, at the moment I wouldn't want to spend too long taking pictures of certain places in London. I don't necessarily fit the profile of a terrorist but common sense says it's not a great time to be paying a lot of attention to what could be considered "targets".

To elaborate a little more......

If you or I and/or an Asian guy wandered around kid's playground on our own taking pictures, we'd be under suspicion of being paedophiles. It's all about context ;)
 
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