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June 19, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Film shows police ‘attack’ on freelance

By Press Gazette

Dramatic ?lm has been released revealing the moment freelance photographer Guy Smallman was injured by Swiss police.

Smallman was working for news agency Images sans Frontières covering anti-G8 protests in Geneva when he was hit in the leg by a police stun grenade.

After two weeks in a Geneva hospital he is now recovering in the UK.

Video footage shows a group of about nine riot police apparently

pursuing Smallman up a staircase.

Smallman has engaged lawyers and intends to sue the Swiss Government for damages.

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The Swiss ambassador in London has agreed to meet NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear to discuss the case.

Smallman said: “The NUJ is going to show him the videotape as well as stills showing what my leg looked like and they are going to point out to him that this rubbish about police coming under attack by ?reworks is a lie. The police attacks on protestors were completely unprovoked.

“I’m planning to sue for loss of earnings as well as damages – but at the moment I am just concentrating on getting back on my feet again.”

The Swiss authorities maintain Smallman was hit by accident. But he says the protest he was photographing was peaceful and believes that he was deliberately targeted by the police.

Video footage of the incident can be seen at www.ssimedia.com/pigbrother/ GuyHasenjagd.htm.

Dominic Ponsford

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