(Quebec) A photojournalist who waited on the sidewalk for the right light to capture the perfect shot of the famous Château Frontenac was fined $230 for loitering, in addition to being handcuffed to the back of a vehicle. Quebec police patrol.
The Association of Canadian Journalists (ACJ) says it is “shocked” by the incident and apologizes to the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ).
“When things like this happen in a faraway country, well, it could happen in North Korea or China,” says photojournalist John Morris. But something is wrong when a police officer in Canada tickets a citizen for taking a photo in public. »
This photographer from Prince Edward Island was in Quebec to take some photos of old Quebec. Mr. Morris occasionally told Reuters, The The Globe and Mail or to the QMI Agency. But he makes calendars or puzzles with his most beautiful photographs. This is why he was in Quebec on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of John Morris
The photographer waited until the clouds covered the sky near Chateau Frontenac. Here is a photo of him taken on Tuesday.
The man walked along a sidewalk in front of the US Embassy with a bird’s-eye view of the fort. “I was putting together a composition for Chateau Frontenac, but I didn’t see some clouds in the photo. I knew they were coming and I had to wait,” Mr. Morris said.
According to the photographer’s account, suddenly a security officer from the embassy came to see him Pres. It is said that photography is not allowed here.
I said it’s a sidewalk, a public place, and I have the right.
About John Morris, US Embassy Security Officer
A few minutes later, SPVQ police officers arrived. The SPVQ confirms it received a call about a “suspicious person near the US Embassy” around noon on Tuesday. However, spokeswoman Sandra Dion could not say where the call came from and specifically whether it came from the embassy.
Photo by EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA Press
John Morris was holding his tripod and waiting for the right light when the police arrested him.
“Once there, the police noticed a violation under municipal regulations,” said M.me dian, or “loitering, loitering or sleeping in the street or public place without reasonable excuse”.
Handcuffed and searched
The man’s camera panned towards the castle. He explains to the police officer that he was waiting for the right moment to capture his photograph. “I asked: Is this not a public footpath? » The police ask him to identify himself. He refuses and asks them if he has been arrested.
When I saw where it was going, I told the police that I was going to start shooting and they told me to put my hands behind my back.
John Morris, photographer
“From the moment a person transgresses, they have to identify themselves and if the person refuses, we have to arrest them to identify them under the Criminal Procedure Code,” said M.me Dion.
Asked if the photographer waiting on the sidewalk was trespassing, loitering, and should receive a ticket, an SPVQ spokeswoman declined to comment. “Monsieur is entitled to full custody,” said Sandra Dion.
The photographer was handcuffed, searched and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle.
Ironically, the clouds arrived just as I was explaining my work as a photographer to the police in the back of an SUV!
John Morris, photographer
The man was released with a $230 fine for loitering. He is already innocent and wants to defend his rights in court.
“In Canada, as long as you’re in a public place, you can photograph anything you want,” says Mr. Morris. “I am 100% sure that the police did this because the consulate did not want me to come there. The policeman eventually told me that the consulate was afraid I would aim my lens inside the embassy. But my lens is 55mm, which is small. »
“It’s a Canadian sidewalk, last I heard!” », says the man.
“defamation”
Canadian Association of Journalists, Mr. Believes that the police intervention against Morris was out of bounds.
“Alleging that Mr. Morris was detained, handcuffed and searched by police because his lens, not even equipped with a zoom, could have been seen inside the US Embassy in Quebec is defamatory and exceeds the bounds of credibility,” the protests said. ACJ President Brent Jolly.
“We hope that Mr. Morris’s ‘wanton loitering’ ticket will be canceled and that he will be apologized for the brutal violation of his basic rights,” said Mr. Jolly added.
The US consulate in Quebec did not respond to calls for comment Pres At the time of publication.
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