Web site censored over pictures of traffic wardens

[JonRB]

www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26104.html

quote:
Web site censored over pictures of traffic wardens
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 09/07/2002 at 12:25 GMT

Traffic wardens in Canterbury, Kent say they have been "harassed, alarmed and distressed" by a Web site lampooning their activities.

Local residents set up the site Canterbury Parking Clowns to protest at the parking policies of Canterbury City Council and its "over zealous [traffic] wardens".

They claim high parking fees and miles of double yellow lines are "killing" the historic city.

The City Council disagrees and maintains its policies are preventing the city being turned into one giant car park.

However, the site featured pictures of the traffic wardens at work, which proved too much for the council.

When it complained to site host Freeserve, the giant ISP wrote to those behind Canterbury Parking Clowns and told them that, because of concerns about libel action, it would suspend the site on Friday July 5 unless the offending pictures were removed.

The site - which includes a story about how a nurse received a parking ticket as she attended a nearby car accident - was relocated to a new site here.

However, the police became involved and warned the site's owner that the publication of the photos is deemed an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Police also warned that the widespread use of the term "Parking Clowns" to describe the traffic wardens is also unsatisfactory since it could lead to a "breach of the peace and possible violence".

As a result those behind the site have removed all photographs of the traffic wardens and any method of parking attendant identification.

Amusingly, though, in some cases the images have been replaced by a photo of the buffoon gendarme from the hit TV comedy series 'Allo 'Allo.

A spokeswoman for Canterbury City Council said it would continue to monitor the site to ensure everything was above board.

No one from the protest site was available for comment at the time of writing.

[mondeoman]

Yet they can watch you with CCTV as much as they like - flippin waste of taxpayers money that is. Take the photos, publish them and challenge em to take you to court for "public disorder" load of ae

[PetrolTed]

Scumbags. One rule for them...

[ErnestM]

...Just move the site offshore. US or some other country. That way the moaning and groaning about libel will have little effect...

ErnestM

[hertsbiker]

funny how they are so militant about this sorta thing, yet seem powerless against kiddie-fiddlers.

Priorities wrong somewhere methinks.

[mel]

Sod em

Ted will you have to resort to a censored sticker now



>> Edited by mel on Thursday 11th July 08:59

[bosshog]

quote:
Scumbags. One rule for them...

Yeah. Scary really isn't it.
1984 - just 20 years late, but its coming....

[CarZee]

Damned right - I hope they decide to serve up their pages from foreign shores - very easily done today.

The place is run by utter nobends.

[grevlinggott]

have the police nothing better to do? they chase this guy for pointing out some pertinent facts, yet can they find the theiving blaggards who tried to steal my 320 the other month, trashing it in the process? take a wild guess. (that'll be a 'no').

even so - if they did find 'em they'd send them on safari or similar....

when will this country get its priorities right???? GRRRRR!!!

[CarZee]

They've shut it down completely now..

www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27261.html

quote:The Parking Clowns Web site - which ridicules the parking policies of Canterbury City Council and its "over zealous [traffic] wardens" - has been suspended following allegations of police intimidation.

Schoolmaster Gareth Thomas, the author of Parking Clowns, claims Kent Police are "watching the site like hawks" and believes it is just a matter of time before they shut down the site and prosecute him.

Mr Thomas told The Register: "They have intimidated me off the Internet."

What started as a local site dealing with concerns over local parking regulations has now erupted into something that touches major issues such as freedom of speech and censorship.

The site was pulled last week after Mr Thomas was again contacted by police concerning the site.

Then, during an interview on a local radio station a statement read out from Kent police stated that it had never tried to interfere with the Canterbury Parking Clowns web site.

.....

unbelieveable...

[scruff400]

quote:
Yet they can watch you with CCTV as much as they like

I remember the play Mark Thomas acted out in front of CCTV, under law the CCTV guys had to hand over the recordings, he tells it better than me though.

[pbrettle]

Already posted on the other thread about this - it is all untested law. There is very little the police can do and they know it - the best they can do is indicate an offence and hope the owner pulls it.

Ok, so the Parking Clowns site is a little close to the edge with the pictures etc, but careful consideration can be taken to remove the offending material and to comply with the LETTER of the law and not the intent of Canterbury Council. I mean, if this is the case ("intent to cause harrasment and incite violence") for publishing something lampooning them - well where does it end? Private Eye poking fun at politicians? Cant have that as they feel hurt and offended by it..... Rubbish and UNPROVABLE in a court of law.... would be thrown out at first or second reading. Stick to the existing laws on publishing such as Indecent publications act etc and you will be fine.

Cheers,

Paul

[Podie]

er... why not just blank out the faces?

...and how come they can show pictures of footage of people on telly? (i.e. Police, Camera, Numpty!)

[s_willy]

Following on from a newspaper article recently, I believe the interest shown by the website in the (Drug)Traffic Wardens is having a detrimental effect on their trade The cops are in on it too. Its a conspiracy man and Tony Blair is really a lizard from outer space.

[Fatboy]

quote: and Tony Blair is really a lizard from outer space.

Now that would explain a lot

Hope someone starts the site up again from an offshore server so the police can do less than F-all about it.

[nonegreen]

One of these days I am gonna lose it big time with these ****ers

[mutley]

quote:
Yet they can watch you with CCTV as much as they like - flippin waste of taxpayers money that is. Take the photos, publish them and challenge em to take you to court for "public disorder" load of ae

But under the Data Protection Act you are entitled to a copy of any CCTV footage you are on, so ask for it!

[jmorgan]

quote:

quote:
Yet they can watch you with CCTV as much as they like - flippin waste of taxpayers money that is. Take the photos, publish them and challenge em to take you to court for "public disorder" load of ae

But under the Data Protection Act you are entitled to a copy of any CCTV footage you are on, so ask for it!

Read somewhere that you can give them a photo of yourself and ask for a copy of all footage with you on. Means someone then has to sit through the archive material to get the copies sorted?
So if several people ask at the same time.....

[mervynp]

quote:
Following on from a newspaper article recently, I believe the interest shown by the website in the (Drug)Traffic Wardens is having a detrimental effect on their trade The cops are in on it too. Its a conspiracy man and Tony Blair is really a lizard from outer space.

Yeah, man its all true Once I have adjusted my tinfoil hat I often check out www.davidicke.com/icke/index.html to get the truth.