Gasland director Josh Fox arrested at fracking hearing in Congress
The director of the Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland was arrested and handcuffed at the US Congress on Wednesday when he tried to film a hearing about the controversial gas mining method known as 'fracking'.
Fox, who has been charged with unlawful entry for trying to film the House Science Committee meeting is due in court on on 15 February.
Following his release Fox issued the following scathing statement:
"I was arrested today for exercising my First Amendment rights to freedom of the press on Capitol Hill. I was not expecting to be arrested for practicing journalism. It is my understanding that public speech is allowed to be filmed. Congress should be no exception," Fox asserted. "No one on Capitol Hill should regard themselves exempt from the Constitution. The First Amendment to the Constitution states explicitly 'Congress shall make no law...that infringes on the Freedom of the Press.' Which means that no subcommittee rule or regulation should prohibit a respectful journalist or citizen from recording a public hearing."
In this interview with MSNBC’s Ed Schultz you can see a clip from Fox's arrest and his response to being forcibly ejected from the hearing in Congress.
Gasland was number 28 on Current's 50 Documentaries To See Before You Die list. It was Josh Fox's first ever film and was Oscar nominated in 2011.
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superwaterman
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Why does congress hate our water?
- 4 months ago
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superwaterman
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l022846
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It is time that small one track minded people find out that this IS NOT just there country there is a thing called the greater good (not what is good for the 1%) if they can't under stand this then they must be removed form office
- 4 months ago
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l022846
