Press freedom groups are raising alarm after New York police arrested and charged videographer Samuel Seligson for allegedly filming pro-Palestinian activists hurling red paint at the homes of top officials of the Brooklyn Museum, part of a campaign by activists demanding the institution divest from Israel. Seligson faces eight counts of criminal mischief with a hate crime enhancement, which is a felony. Police also raided his home twice. Seligson is a well-known local journalist whose work has appeared on major news outlets, and his attorney Leena Widdi says the charges are an attack on constitutionally protected press freedoms. “It is an extremely concerning assault on the First Amendment. The reason why the freedom of press is so strongly protected is because there’s some underlying belief that in order for the public to meaningfully participate in a democracy, they must be actually informed,” Widdi tells Democracy Now!
The charges are not for filming; they’re for accompanying the protesters as they engaged in vandalism. According to the AP:
Videotaping a crime doesn’t automatically absolve someone of guilt. Whether or not he’s guilty in this particular case depends on facts not present in the article. My guess is that the cops have evidence that he planned the vandalism (and his role in documenting it) together with the people who actually carried it out.
The charges are for made up bullshit. The arrest is for filming.
While you can make up whatever speculation you want to, the only theing the ACAB crew has said is the person did not participate in the vandalism.
Seems like if they thought the person did what you speculate they would have said that instead of accusing them of being a participant.
but
Officially the cops haven’t said anything beyond what’s in the criminal complaint. The statement that he didn’t personally vandalize anything isn’t the full set of information available to the police.
Oh, it is you again. You should start arguing that they didn’t do a DNA test.