Previous | Next :: High School Football Crowd : Marietta : Georgia | February 2, 2011, 7:12 pm

I was watching my old mate Ron Haviv talking from Cairo........ about the fear of crowd violence.

Thats a constant for photojournalists working amongst angry crowds. I've known scary incidents in crowds even in Britain but also in Africa and the Middle East. Crowd phycology and the dynamics of crowds can make things particularly dangerous for the photojournalist...... you can come over as the outsider....... the lone manifestation of America or the West.......... the violence can suddenly all be concentrating on you.

I heard a BBC correspondent say he had been threatened by pro democracy demonstrators.......... its madness of course ....... it would be one thing if he was saying he had been threatened by pro-regime demonstrators.... they have a reason to shut up the foreign press ....... the only source of real information concerning what's going on...... the pro change people need that info to keep flowing ( i.e. should not be threatening or hurting the journos ).......... otherwise their whole movement could be derailed and suppressed........ so one thing you know the logic of crowds....... it does not need reason........ crowds are seriously dangerous in these circumstance.......... individual photographers need to operate very cautiously thats for sure...........

I should be putting up an angry crowd shot....... from a big anarchist demo...... or a zulu anti apartheid mass action....... .or massed angry crowds in Gaza or Lebanon......... but still I have non on me........ come on Matt send me a pic from Gaza :-))

So meantime above, I have the decidedly non threatening crowd at High School football in Georgia hehehehehe.......... :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Good Luck to Ron and all the rest of the crew in Egypt :-))))))))) XXXXXXXXXXX

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

www.jezblog.com