EDL supporters outside the pub before the march in Barking
I didn’t have any great problems photographing the EDL march and rally in Barking on Saturday, although at times the atmosphere was a little tense. There were a number of people who I’ve met and photographed before at the event, including at least one who often reads My London Dairy, and thanked me for my reports of events. The EDL and right-wing (or as they prefer to be called ‘patriotic’ groups are very suspicious of the press, and while I was taking pictures several people did ask me who I was working for and what happened to the pictures, including the woman in the picture above.
I told her I was freelance and that the pictures would appear on Demotix and My London Diary, and possibly also in other newspapers, magazines and books. And as I always do, I said that I thought it was important to try and report such events accurately, trying to faithfully represent the views of the groups concerned (in this case both the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism who were holding a counter-protest) but that also I would state my own opinions, and that I had different views to the EDL. She agreed with me that this was a free country and that we were entitled to have different views.
EDL marcher shouts and gestures at UAF counter-demonstration
I think that the EDL (and other groups) deserve a fair and accurate press, although that certainly does not mean glossing over their activities. Those who don’t like what they say and do need I think to start by trying to understand what has led to their appeal to certain groups in our society.
Friends on the left sometimes tell me that I’m “too easy” on the EDL, while shortly after publishing my article about this event I received, not for the first time, a threatening e-mail. Rather more pleasing are the various positive comments that I’ve also received about both pictures and text. But I think it says a lot about the kind of way the EDL thinks that one of their supporters writes to me “you better hope you dont get noticed next time ur at a demo….”
Of course it isn’t the first time I’ve received such threats after covering their events of right-wing groups, or even during them. And many organisations do have their lunatic fringe, but it does seem rather more than a fringe with the EDL, although there are also others in the organisation who do believe in such English values as tolerance and fair play – and who I’ve at times been grateful for protecting me from harm.
I did get just a few very negative comments while taking the pictures, and there were a few people who obviously tried to avoid being photographed, something I find strange behaviour at a protest, which is surely all about getting publicity. Of course some people – both on the right and anarchists – wear masks to hide their identity, particularly if they intend to break the law. The police FIT teams (and there were a couple photographing at Barking) may object, and sometimes police force protesters to unmask, but most photographers actually find people with masks make more interesting pictures!
My pictures and the text show the EDL as they are and how they appear to other people. If they don’t like that, they should change how they behave rather than blame the photographer.
EDL wave at the UAF and call them racists
It was certainly very much easier to photograph the UAF who had come to protest against the EDL.
UAF protesters react as EDL march draws close
One of the other photographers present did get rather more trouble than me, and at one point late in the day EDL stewards and police had to restrain one of the other EDL stewards who was attacking him.
Photographically things were fairly straightforward, and it was a fine day with good light. I’d thought a little about the event beforehand and had taken the 10.5mm out of may bag and replaced it with a Sigma 28-300mm (42-450mm equivalent on the D300), suspecting – as turned out the be the case – that I might some of the time have to work from further away than I like. I did use it for quite a few pictures, but the auto-focus is just a little slow compared with the Nikon 18-105mm which is usually the longest lens I carry, and the images aren’t quite as sharp. It doesn’t have image stabilisation either, but that wasn’t a great problem; in good light you can shoot at some very high speeds on digital as the D300 is fine at ISO800.
My account of the event and more pictures are on My London Diary: EDL March in Barking
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
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