Battleangel

Josh Wolf is still being held in U.S. for his refusal to hand over videos he shot at the G8 protest in San Francisco in 2005. Apparently not all media is created equal. And the corporate media should take note of this before they become “agents of the government” .. oh .. wait .. (Boing Boing)

Wolf was recording a demonstration by a group of anarchists on July 8, 2005. The demonstration turned unruly, with some of the protesters vandalizing buildings and scuffling with police. Wolf posted some of the videos on his Web site.

Federal prosecutors are demanding that Wolf turn over the outtakes — claiming to be specifically interested in the attempted burning of a police car.

Wolf’s refusal to turn over his unpublished material would seem to be covered by the state’s shield law.

However, federal prosecutors are arguing that the sliding of a burning mattress under a police cruiser constitutes a federal crime because the San Francisco Police Department receives money from the U.S. government. Yes, the argument is a stretch.

It goes without saying of course that Josh is getting his rights shredded because of who he is. Not just as a member of the alternative media but mainly for his political views. Political and ideological persecution has a long and dark history in the U.S. and is usually carried out under clever pretences just as these. Once even the alternative media has been removed, dissuaded from covering acts of actual democracy, the police of course is free to do as they please to these “fifth columnists.”