Videoing journalists is a step way too far

I had a rant just last week about the threats to our liberties - see here - any-which-way you look at it the British Government has spent the past decade carrying out a wholesale assault on our rights and freedoms, from ID cards and the DNA database to detention without trial and infringements on free speech.

As Greens, we have a strong and proud tradition of direct action and peaceful protest. This week commendable work by The Guardian newspaper has revealed the extent of police surveillance not just of those who join marches and demos, but the journalists who act as the eyes and ears of the public. This is surely a step way to far? What sort of society are we creating?

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, commented: "The police need to distinguish between crime and democratic dissent or they will find themselves on the receiving end of the law."