Taking Liberties (film)
| Taking Liberties | |
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Film Poster
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| Directed by | Chris Atkins |
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| Narrated by | |
| Music by | Vince Watts |
| Edited by | Nick Fenton |
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Release date
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Taking Liberties (also known as Taking Liberties Since 1997) is a documentary film about the erosion of civil liberties in the United Kingdom and increase of surveillance under the government of Tony Blair. It was released in the UK on 8 June 2007.
The director, Chris Atkins, said on 1 May that he wanted to expose "the Orwellian state" that now threatened Britain as a result of Mr Blair's policies. There is also an accompanying book.
The film starts with three coaches of peace protestors on the way to the RAF Base in Fairford, Gloucestershire on 22 March 2003 held for two hours by 100 riot police and escorted back to London denied the right to protest. An animated sequence profiles the key events of WWII; Reichstag fire, Kristallnacht, the invasion of Poland, allied victory and the subsequent European convention on Human rights designed to ensure it never happened again. Archive footage of Tony Blair defends New Labour laws which undo this convention and which the 7 July 2005 London bombings survivor Rachel North rallies against.
Tony Benn introduces the story of the expulsion of Walter Wolfgang from the Labour Party Conference for protesting a speech by Jack Straw. Toby Rhodes of Splash Clothing relates the story of a 20-year-old student stopped by police for wearing one of his company’s "Bollocks to Blair" T-shirts.
Maya Evans and Milan Rai of the Justice Not Vengeance discuss their arrest for an illegal memorial service outside Downing Street. Photos, title cards and archive footage tell the story of protestor Brian Haw. Peace Campaigners Sylvia & Helen talk about their arrest at the Menwith Hill US Military Base in Yorkshire. Baptist Minister Malcolm Carroll and the Rickford family discuss the Climate Camp protest at East Midlands Airport. Finally the collusion between police and EDO MBM to break anti-war protests by the Brighton & Hove Citizens Weapons’ Inspectors is revealed.
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