Filming Donald Trump's Scottish Golf Course Will Get You Arrested
Donald Trump is building a probably tacky golf course along the picturesque coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland and not everyone is happy about it. And while investigating complaints about Trump's shady business tactics, two filmmakers were arrested on the property.
The award-winning filmmakers, Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney, were looking into complaints that Trump's contractors had cut off water supplies to residents who oppose the golf course's construction. Baxter and Phinney told the Guardian that they had permission to interview people there, but were arrested, had DNA samples and photographs taken, and their equipment was confiscated for five days.
Paul Holleran from the National Union of Journalists is not happy about this, saying "This is a blatant example of police interference aimed at stopping bona fide journalists from doing their job. Their footage shows they were asking very pertinent questions in a mannerly fashion as befits professional journalists. I believe this is a breach of human rights, and we are taking legal advice. I think this must be one of the first cases in this country of journalists being arrested for just carrying out interviews to establish the truth and hold people to account."
Trump's senior representative George Sorial told the paper that police were called after Baxter and Phinney "burst" into the office, and that the company has "a right to protect its own people." Sorial added that the whole water cut off thing was an accident. Hmm.
This should serve as a lesson to any professional journalists, especially those who ask questions in a mannerly fashion, that looking into Donald Trump's business operations is futile. The Donald always wins.
[Image via Getty]