Jess Hurd

Photographer
Mark Thomas

Capital of Culture?

I’ve just returned from a work trip to Istanbul. I was there two years ago with Mark Thomas working on his book exposing the crimes of Coca Cola.

Whilst I was there I visited Sulukule, the oldest gypsy community in the world and a community facing forced eviction and demolition, the story appeared as eyewitness in the Guardian newspaper.

The Roma residents, famous for their traditional gypsy music, were fighting the ‘gentrification’ of their historic community, which was only to leave a handful of houses as museum artifacts and re-house the gypsies in anonymous blocks some way outside the city.

The community is now dispersed, destroyed and impoverished and as Istanbul celebrates its European Capital of Culture status it represents exactly the opposite in my opinion.

See Sulukule slideshow here

Images available to licence from www.reportdigital.co.uk
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Capital of Culture, gentrification, Guardian, gypsy, Istanbul, Mark Thomas, Rom, Roma, Sulukule, Turkey
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For Police Eyes Only


This is enlarged from an image I took in 2004 which shows a police officer with named photo ID’s of individuals on a Stop the War coalition protest outside an election fundraising dinner where George Bush Senior was after dinner speaker (pic is used in the Guardian story related today)


Not only does it contain prominent peace activists but also outrageously, two journalists (names and faces have been blurred to protect the identity of individuals listed)


The spotter card is used by police to identify potential ‘trouble makers’.


See Guardian article; Police in £9m scheme to log ‘domestic extremists’ here


and Domestic Extremist blog piece here


© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk

Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
civil liberties, database, Guardian, Mark Thomas, police, police state, press freedom, secret, surveillance
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The Bay Tree Gets It


Comedian and political activist Mark Thomas and supporters hold hostage Margaret Morans MP’s Bay Tree on the Fourth Plinth. It faced execution by radical pruning unless she resigned over the expenses scandal. Trafalgar Square, London.

© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk


See Web Gallery here


Open letter from Mark Thomas here

Images showing in Mark Thomas’s Edinburgh show at The Stand.



Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 am
bay tree, comedian, expenses, fourth plinth, greed, manifesto, Margaret Moran, Mark Thomas, MP, MP's, MPs Houses Open Day Society, political activist, resign, resignation
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More Custard – Less Tax Dodgers

Mark Thomas, demonstrates against the offshore ownership of the Home Office and calls for more custard less tax dodgers. London.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

See web gallery here
Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk
Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
comedian, custard, dodgers, Home Office, Mark Thomas, Ministry of Justice, offshore, tax
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Middle Class Summer of Rage


Mark Thomas, comedian starts the Middle Class Summer of Rage by having a picnic outside New Scotland Yard. Westminster, London.

© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


See Web Gallery here


Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
comedian, Mark Thomas, middle class, New Scotland Yard, protest, protesting, Summer of Rage
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The Pound Shop


Mark Thomas, comedian campaigns for The Bank of England to be renamed The Pound Shop. City of London.

© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


See Web Gallery here


Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Bank of England, banks, collapse, crisis, depression, financial, Mark Thomas, recession, The Pound Shop
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Occupy the Treasury!

Mark Thomas calls for workers to occupy the Treasury and have a rent stike against the building owner who has his money off-shore. London.

© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


See web gallery here


Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk

Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
comedian, comedy, demonstration, Mark Thomas, occupation, Treasury
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Mark Thomas Pimps Peers


Lords calling cards left in public phone boxes advertising corruption, perversion of the political process and 100% discretion. Mark Thomas, comedian and other activists use stunt to highlight allegations that peers told undercover reporters that they were willing to use their influence to help to amend legislation in return for money.


See web gallery here


All images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
corruption, House of Lords, Lord, Lords, Mark Thomas
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I’m A Photographer …Not a Terrorist


Seeing as the police don’t seem to recognise the legitimacy of press card these days. We thought we would make our status clear with our own badge..


We have seen artists arrested under the terrorism legislation.
A local historian stopped and searched for photographing a plaque on a bench.

I was also detained by police in the London Docklands before Christmas whilst covering a traveller wedding and accused of doing ‘hostile reconnaissance’. Read the Guardian and other related articles here


Enough is Enough.

Monday 16th February 2009 will see the enforcement of Section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008. As the British Journal of Photography (BJP) wrote last month,

“The relationship between photographers and police could worsen next month when new laws are introduced that allow for the arrest – and imprisonment – of anyone who takes pictures of officers ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’.”

Read the full BJP article here. 

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has teamed up with Mark Thomas (writer, broadcaster, comic and political activist), Chris Atkins (the BAFTA nominated director and writer of the feature film documentary Taking Liberties), and many more for a “media event” outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February 2009. The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.


More info about the background to this “media event” visit the NUJ here

Please note: This is NOT a Protest!
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
badge, BJP, Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, journalist, Mark Thomas, New Scotland Yard, Photographer, Prevention of Terrorism Act, Section 76, terrorism, terrorist
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Belching Out The Devil

Earlier on in the year I had the privilege of working with activist, journalist and comedian Mark Thomas on his new book Belching Out The Devil

We visited trade unionists in Colombia living under paramilitary death threat and Coca Cola workers and their families in Istanbul who were brutally attacked by the police in the company HQ. 
This book is a serious investigation in to the activities of Coca Cola the global corporate brand, but it also makes you laugh out loud roughly every three pages.
A must get Xmas present for all the family!
Guardian : ‘John Pilger with laughs’
Image of Mark Thomas with Che Guevara in the Sinatrainal trade union offices, Bogota –
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Images available from www.reportdigital.co.uk
Read interview here
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
Belching Out The Devil, Che Guevara, Coca Cola, Mark Thomas
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