It's hard to believe the stories I read these days. It's like
everyone is running full-speed toward an authoritarian wingnut world.
MADRID (AP) — Spain is considering a ban on photographing, filming or
reproducing images of police and state security forces who are on duty.
Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said the government is
considering prohibiting the capture, playback and processing of images,
sounds or data of security forces while "in the exercise of their
functions."
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said after months of
television and Internet scenes of sometimes violent clashes between
police and demonstrators, a balance had to be struck "between citizens'
right to protest" and the need "to uphold the integrity of state
security forces."
What
a wingnut comparison! Uphold citizens' rights and you lose the
"integrity of state security forces." What he's saying is "show the
abuse by police and no one will respect them anymore." And we have to
protect the police, right? So to hell with all these civilians with
cameras. Toss them overboard and let the police do whatever they want.
We've
seen the same authoritarian impulses in police in the US. Thankfully,
the courts seem to be siding with citizens' rights on this issue, at
least of late. But every society is only a hairsbreadth away from
swinging to the right. These bans won't work, mind you. You can't stop
people from recording government attacks. Just look at Syria. Images
will always surface. The internet is the end of tyranny. It is the
ultimate equalizer. All hail the net!
