I may have been born there, but I certainly couldn't live there now. Apparently the laws are different in the Peoples' Republic of Middlesbrough . . . it is deemed illegal to take photographs of stores:
Security goons, store-clerks and police officers detained Flickr user "i didn't mean to go to Stoke" for taking photos in the outdoor, pedestrianized area of Middlesbrough, UK:
Moments later as i walked away this goon jumped in front of me and demanded to know what i was doing. i explained that i was taking photos and it was my legal right to do so, he tried to stop me by shoulder charging me, my friend started taking photos of this, he then tried to detain us both. I refused to stand still so he grabbed my jacket and said i was breaking the law. Quickly a woman and a guy wearing BARGAIN MADNESS shirts joined in the melee and forcibly grabbed my friend and held him against his will. We were both informed that street photography was illegal in the town.
Two security guards from the nearby shopping center THE MALL came running over, we were surrounded by six hostile and aggressive security guards. They then said photographing shops was illegal and this was private land. I was angry at being grabbed by this man so i pushed him away, one of the men wearing a BARGAIN MADNESS shirt twisted my arm violently behind my back, i winced in pain and could hardly breathe in agony.
Original flickr post here. Video is here. Hat tip to Perry de Havilland, who wrote:
The UK government has been peddling a culture of fear since 9/11 as an excuse for ever more control over people's lives. Strange how people in Britain managed to survive all those years of Irish terrorism without such madness. To see how successful they have been at making this psychosis a pervasive feature of British life, check this out.
Related links:
Visitors since 17 August, 2004