Jason N. Parkinson: Video Journalist

Friday 28 January 2011: Video rush of the attacks by the thousands of riot police against the anti-government protestors in the back streets in Cairo, as the uprising attempted to regain Tahrir Square.

This video coverage was cut short after about two hours, when our team was caught between tear gas and live fire from shotguns at one end of the street and around 100 riot cops and a large group of secret police at the other. We were grabbed by the secret police, strangled and beaten to the ground, then marched out of the protest. We expected to be put in the waiting prison van and be driven into the desert. Instead, after shouting to watching crowds of people that we were British press the police took our memory cards and let us go, emphasising we get off the streets immediately. We did. Unfortunately they pulled the stills memory card from my camera and didn’t realise the camera was old-school DV tape. Hence this video.

(c) Jason N. Parkinson/reportdigital.co.uk

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