There are times when it’s hard to decide how to cover a story. Although when I got an e-mail about the latest event organised by the Space Hijackers it looked as if it might be interesting, I could see there might be practical difficulties in covering it.
They had decided to hold what they called “the restyling fashion mash-up event of the year” inside one of the larger shops on London’s busiest shopping street, Oxford St. And of course to do so without permission. Although I wasn’t sure about how the store would react to this event, I was pretty clear about one thing – they would not be happy with photographers taking pictures.
So I went along hoping that something interesting would happen outside the shop. I did recognise a few people going in from having taken pictures at earlier events, and there were a couple of police standing around watching the front of the shop, but otherwise nothing was happening. So eventually I decided to go inside and take a look.
There a found a group of people taking off various items of clothing and exchanging them with others on the shop floor, watched by rather a lot of security men and a few police. And as expected, almost as soon as I started photographing I too was surrounded by large guys dressed in black telling me I couldn’t take pictures. Since thespace in front of my lens was by then filled at short range by large black clad shapes, there wasn’t a lot of point in trying!
All of them were polite to me (as I of course was to them) but our conversation wasn’t going to get me anywhere, and so I walked out of the store (with one of the security men following me until I left the premises.) I was rather surprised that I hadn’t even been asked to leave, just told to stop taking pictures.
Two other photographers who had come to cover the event were treated a little less politely, getting pushed around and one woman photographer was actually physically thrown out of the store – though I was just too far away to get a picture as this happened. They’ve also been banned from Topshop, though I don’t think either will be too worried by this.
ASBO notice and Space Highjackers pink “Get out of Topshop Jail Free” card
The demonstration, which continued on the pavement outside the shop after those taking part were escorted out of the side door, was of course a protest against consumerism and the relentless pressure on people to buy things that they don’t really need that is central to our society. One of them was served with a Notice for the Dispersal of Groups under the Anti-social Behaviour Act. This didn’t seem appropriate for the protest in the store as it seems only to apply in public places and outside there seemed to be no evidence of “members of the public being intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed.” Those few who noticed what was happening seemed either slightly puzzled or mildly amused, though one or two stopped to join in or take photographs.
More about the protest and more pictures on My London Diary.
