London Trans Pride 2021

My photographic set/ report from London Trans Pride 2021.

The march, the beautiful crowd, some long not seen friends, fellow photographers at work, some wide angle situations, the streets, the speeches and as per usual, plenty of details.

Strajk Kobiet/ Polish Women on Strike - demonstration outside the Polish Embassy in London

In response to Poland’s ban on abortion, people rallied in front of the Polish Embassy in London, lighting candles and chanting in a show of mass solidarity with everyone, who have been out in the Polish streets taking part in ongoing daily protests. On Friday night while we were showing our support in London, Warsaw saw the biggest demonstration since the Solidarity movement of the 1980s. Poland already has the strictest abortion law in Europe, which the ruling party wants now to take even further. An extra outrage is caused by the government’s efforts to introduce the new restrictions undemocratically, fast tracking them via Constitutional Tribunal, which recently appointed members are all the Government’s cronies. Those people not only aren’t impartial but also aren’t qualified judges and make decisions based on their personal and religious believes.

Women and their supporters are demanding reverting the oppressive and dangerous changes in law. People are also calling for the right wing government to step down and are demanding a secular state.

The London protest was intense and inspiring. Despite the fact that there were many creative and playful chants and placards, the message sent to the Polish government was clear and serious - don’t mess with us and respect women’s rights.

London Trans Pride 2020

*Solidarity is Our Weapon* Rainbow for Poland

I Am Human - Solidarity Action Rainbow for Poland

Today’s seen another action of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ people in Poland outside the Polish Embassy in London. The event was attended by a beautiful, diverse crowd not only expressing their messages of support for our Polish siblings but also demanding equality and respect from the Polish authorities. It was wonderful to see everyone including the organisers from Polish Rainbow in UK and FARSA and also the All Out activists. The process of consistent dehumanising of our community in the state owned and right wing Polish media caused a rapid polarisation of the Polish society and gave the religious (catholic) and conservative people a license to publicly express their hatred towards the LGBTQ+ folks. There are more and more of violent incidents and the state and church propaganda are making the situation worse. Today it was the first time when our peaceful demonstration in London was confronted by a small group of Polish nationalists who were shouting abuses towards us. The tensions and emotions run high at some point as for many of us it definitely was a trigger. Nevertheless the demo remained peaceful and retained a positive vibe. One of the aggressors, apparently representing a formal Polish right wing political party, has been eventually detained by the police and charged with hate crime.

Standing in solidarity with the arrested LGBTQ+ activists in Poland, a demo outside the Polish Embassy in London. Solidarne z Margot. Nigdy nie będziesz szła sama!

Stop bzdurom (stop the bullshit) is an anarcho-queer collective actively fighting against queer phobia in Poland. Yesterday one of the activists, Margot, has been arrested in Warsaw. 48 protesters who tried to stop the arrest have been dragged away and detained by the police. The intimidation and dehumanisation of the LGBTQ+ people in Poland continues and we are not having it! There were demonstrations organised in solidarity with the activists across Poland as well as in front of the Polish Embassy in London. Here is my photo report. Nie ma wolnosci bez solidarnosci! There is no freedom without solidarity! The London demo was organised by Razem Londyn.

Solidarity with Polish LGBTQ+ rainbow flash mob

Today I joined the protest outside the Polish Embassy and documented the rainbow flash mob. Just two days before the presidential elections in Poland it felt very urgent and much needed to be vocal and show solidarity with our LGBTQ+ siblings living there.

‘In the light of disturbing news about the situation of Polish LGBT+ community we want to send some love and solidarity their way.

Current homophobic president Andrzej Duda spreads hate towards the LGBT+ community by saying publicly on national television "LGBT is an ideology, they're not people". This dehumanising rhetoric allows for the increase of homophobia in Poland (according to ILGA Poland is the most homophobic EU country)

To get a grasp of what's the situation of Polish LGBT+ community watch this documentary by BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-53342667/poland-election-the-fight-for-lgbt-rights

We say strong NO to any form of homophobia, transphobia and hatred towards our Polish sisters and brothers!

Let’s meet outside the Polish Embassy at lunchtime on Friday 10th of July for a socially distant flash mob and draw a massive rainbow of hope outside the Polish Embassy to show our love, hope and support!’

Stand Up to Lgbtq+ Hate Crime, SLAV 4 U, FARSA Feminists Artywists Society in Action and Polish Rainbow in UK

Black Trans Lives Matter

A set of images documenting some scenes and beautiful moments towards the end of the Black Trans Lives Matter protest. There was no usual commercial Pride this year on this weekend due to the pandemic but this event felt like a relevant and much needed Pride upgrade. People were asked to bring flowers…

Black Lives Matter Hyde Park - Trafalgar Square

People gathered again to share, listen, educate and protest. There was a prominent presence of the LGBTQ+ crowd and a strong message of support (‘All Black Lives Matter’) from the allies, which was anticipating following Saturday’s Black Trans Lives Matter protest. My photo report is a mix of portraits and details documenting the message, energy, volume, settings and atmosphere of the event.

Kaos Live

Kaos’ activity has been suspended after the February edition, as the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic saw all the London clubs shut in March. After 3 months they decided to organise a live streamed, globally accessible event. I joined the team to document this very special instalment featuring sets from Dahc Dermur VIII, Lupus and Proteus with an introductory crash course to the new project - regenerative being.

London Black Lives Matter - Protesting, educating, supporting, documenting and demanding changes continues!

“Within 10 days of sustained protests:

  • Minneapolis bans use of choke holds.

  • Charges are upgraded against Officer Chauvin, and his accomplices are arrested and charged.

  • Dallas adopts a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate use of force.

  • New Jersey’s attorney general said the state will update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.

  • In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group.

  • Los Angeles City Council introduces motion to reduce LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget.

  • MBTA in Boston agrees to stop using public buses to transport police officers to protests.

  • Police brutality captured on cameras leads to near-immediate suspensions and firings of officers in several cities (i.e., Buffalo, Ft. Lauderdale).

  • Monuments celebrating confederates are removed in cities in Virginia, Alabama, and other states.

  • Street in front of the White House is renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

  • Military forces begin to withdraw from D.C.

Also:

  • The really difficult public and private conversations that are happening about race and privilege.

  • The realizations some white people are coming to about racism and the role of policing in this country .

  • The self-reflection.

  • The internal battles exploding within organizations over issues that have been simmering or ignored for a long time. Some organizations will end as a result, others will be forever changed or replaced with something stronger and fairer.

Globally:

  • Protests against racial inequality sparked by the police killing of George Floyd are taking place all over the world.

  • Rallies and memorials have been held in cities across Europe, as well as in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

  • As the US contends with its second week of protests, issues of racism, police brutality, and oppression have been brought to light across the globe.

  • People all over the world understand that their own fights for human rights, for equality and fairness, will become so much more difficult to win if we are going to lose America as the place where 'I have a dream' is a real and universal political program," Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the US, told the New Yorker.

  • In France, protesters marched holding signs that said "I can't breathe" to signify both the words of Floyd, and the last words of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who was subdued by police officers and gasped the sentence before he died outside Paris in 2016.

  • Cities across Europe have come together after the death of George Floyd:

  • In Amsterdam, an estimated 10,000 people filled the Dam square on Monday, holding signs and shouting popular chants like "Black lives matter," and "No justice, no peace."

  • In Germany, people gathered in multiple locations throughout Berlin to demand justice for Floyd and fight against police brutality.

  • A mural dedicated to Floyd was also spray-painted on a stretch of wall in Berlin that once divided the German capital during the Cold War.

  • In Ireland, protesters held a peaceful demonstration outside of Belfast City Hall, and others gathered outside of the US embassy in Dublin.

  • In Italy, protesters gathered and marched with signs that said "Stop killing black people," "Say his name," and "We will not be silent."

  • In Spain, people gathered to march and hold up signs throughout Barcelona and Madrid.

  • In Athens, Greece, protesters took to the streets to collectively hold up a sign that read "I can't breathe."

  • In Brussels, protesters were seen sitting in a peaceful demonstration in front of an opera house in the center of the city.

  • In Denmark, protesters were heard chanting "No justice, no peace!" throughout the streets of Copenhagen, while others gathered outside the US embassy.

  • In Canada, protesters were also grieving for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black woman who died on Wednesday after falling from her balcony during a police investigation at her building.

  • And in New Zealand, roughly 2,000 people marched to the US embassy in Auckland, chanting and carrying signs demanding justice.

  • Memorials have been built for Floyd around the world, too. In Mexico City, portraits of him were hung outside the US embassy with roses, candles, and signs.

  • In Poland, candles and flowers were laid out next to photos of Floyd outside the US consulate.

  • And in Syria, two artists created a mural depicting Floyd in the northwestern town of Binnish, "on a wall destroyed by military planes."

Before the assassination of George Floyd some of you were able to say whatever the hell you wanted and the world didn't say anything to you...

THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT, AN AWAKENING...MANY OF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE. #readthatagain

Don't wake up tomorrow on the wrong side of this issue. Its not too late to SAY, "maybe I need to look at this from a different perspective. Maybe I don't know what its like to be Black in America, to be Black.

Maybe, just maybe, I have been taught wrong."

There is still so much work to be done. It's been a really dark, raw week. This could still end badly. But all we can do is keep doing the work.

Keep protesting.

WE ARE NOT TRYING TO START A RACE WAR; WE ARE PROTESTING TO END IT, PEACEFULLY.

How beautiful is that?

ALL LIVES CANNOT MATTER UNTIL YOU INCLUDE BLACK LIVES.

YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN YOU DO NOTHING TO STOP SYSTEMIC RACISM & POLICE BRUTALITY.

YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN BLACK PEOPLE ARE DYING AND ALL YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IS THE LOOTING.

YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN YOU ALLOW CHILDREN TO BE CAGED, VETERANS TO GO HOMELESS, AND POOR FAMILIES TO GO HUNGRY & LOSE THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE.

DO ALL LIVES MATTER? YES. BUT RIGHT NOW, ONLY BLACK LIVES ARE BEING TARGETED, JAILED, AND KILLED EN MASSE- SO THAT'S WHO WE'RE FOCUSING ON.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Power to the people. Share this far and wide. #endfascism”

(Source - Facebook)

Black Lives Matter and We Stand UK - Peaceful protest in London

On Saturday 31/05 I attended the first of the series of the planned London protests organised by Black Lives Matter and We Stand UK. I wanted to support the protests and the Movement through documenting the message bearing placards, the speeches and the energy and the presence of the people. As it happens when I photograph protests I also documented the presence of my fellow photographers and the media. It started with the gathering on Trafalgar Square, then we all walked to the US embassy in Nine Elms. The final stop was Parliament Square, which has been occupied by the protesters until the evening. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #ldnblm #WeStandUK #KneelForFloyd #BlackLivesMatter

Kaos presents Rrose

The February edition of Kaos saw the return of Rrose, NWRMNTC, Polanski and Choronzon alongside a debut from L-Shape. The special guest, the art director and designer Tim Yip shot some footage for his ‘Love Infinity’ project featuring Lili and Dahc Dermur VIII.

DHENZE at VERV London

I documented the event at VERV London in Bethnal Green organised to present DHENZE’s next collection.

D&AD New Blood Shift Showcase

Kaos presents Kris Baha

A small selection of images from the February edition of Kaos, which was an all night session with the incredible Kris Baha.

Klub Verboten at Islington Metal Works

I’ve been collaborating with Klub Verboten for a while, producing visual content for their website, newsletters, merchandise promos and fundraising campaign. I also now started my club photographer residency with them. It began with their first night organised at Islington Metal Work/Elektrowerkz.

No to War with Iran

The Text Bender – A Shop of Words by R.M. Sánchez-Camus

I documented the exhibition of community words created by artist R.M. Sánchez-Camus for HOME on High Street in Slough. I also photographed the community open mic that was part of the exhibition closing event.