SE23 Forum

I feel your pain but get ready for the Guardianistas telling you you shouldn't be filming people. It doesn't matter that these people are blighting your neighbourhood, their human rights are being neglected....

The law: http://content.met.police.uk/Site/photographyadvice

You might ending up skating close to the edge of defamation depending on what else you say when you've identified them so clearly, but you are quite right that it is not illegal to post film of this sort to the internet.

It's also not illegal to feed foxes.

But it is not legal to litter the streets.

There does seem to be an attitude that it's not ok to move to this area from elsewhere. I don't think living here for a long time gives anyone any priority. As a newcomer myself (and -- shh! -- I'm not even British! terrible!) I must say I resent the implication that my street (not this one) might not be "our street."

I love the foxes in our garden but I would not feed them. They are doing just fine without my help.

Just as a (potentially unwelcome) interjection from a former journalist, something is defamatory if it:
Lowers them in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public; and/or
Causes them to be shunned or avoided; and/or
Disparages them in their office, trade or profession; and/or
Exposes them to hatred ridicule or contempt.

(this is from the BBC Academy's definition of defamation)

Your statements, regardless of truth, could be seen as defamatory.

However, there are a number of defences against punishment for defamation. The defence that I assume you would put is that you say the statements are true. However, the legal onus is upon you to prove that they are true. Unlike most law in the UK, in defamation cases, the accused has to prove innocence rather than the accuser proving guilt.

End of sticking my nose in.

Urgh. These people are loonies.


As has been said before - they are free to feed the foxes from their own property. It's that simple.


Calling someone a pedofile just for filming in a public place, now that's defamation.

Just out of interest, was the container in the street or in their front garden?

This from that BBC website:

I don't think my next comment applies to the other person who seems a pretty level-headed sort of chap, but no one should make the mistake of thinking that 'honest opinion' is some sort of catch-all that will cover any old trolling nonsense. You can't go all innocent-faced and pretend that ranting c**p is allowed. It has to be based on fact. Not based on belief, but based on fact.

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious - and I'm sure Decker was just making a joke - but if someone shouts at you and calls you nasty names, then I'm sure you don't really have much of a claim for defamation if you film them doing it and then upload that film onto a website! I think the courts would think you're defaming yourself

But I doubt he is interested in a defamation claim against his neighbours, so filming them is actually a good idea.

The whole situation is a joke. I mean, we shouldn't have to deal with things like this or even bring up the word defamation or anything.


These people should just feed the foxes from their own property and that would satisfy everyone to an extent.

I agree it's a bit of a joke. Those people are almost a parody of themselves. But as defamation issues have cropped up on this website - and a million others - before, I took the opportunity, etc etc.

Not entirely sure I agree that feeding the foxes from their own property would keep everyone happy. I'd be pretty unhappy if my neighbours were encouraging the mange-ridden, destructive vermin.

I know what defamations means and I didn't say you had defamed them. I was commenting on what could constitute a breach of the law in the context of posting videos to the net. Hence the words "might" and "depending on what else you say".

Sandy - I know littering is, but feeding foxes per se isn't.

My point is that the fact that something isn't illegal doesn't make it potentially objectionable to others - whether you are talking about feeding foxes (which, personally, I find a pain as I'm sick of foxes), getting annoyed at being filmed without your permission (which I would also probably get annoyed about) or whether posting videos of your confrontations with your neighbours to the internet including identifying their address (which I can't say I'd be that thrilled about either).

There are less aggressive ways to deal with your neighbours.

I would prefer them not to feed the foxes at all too.


But you have to compromise. And I'm sure it's legal to feed them from your own property.


These people surely won't listen to common sense or what the community wants. So the best you can hope for is them keeping it to their property and not disturbing others.