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WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE IN THE CENTRE OF A MAJOR DEMONSTRATION?

Book jacket for Conflicted: London's Faces of Protest

 

CONFLICTED: London’s Faces of Protest reveals the anger, frustration and danger experienced by those taking to the streets and challenging authority in the birthplace of modern democracy.

In eight chapters – one for each protest – CONFLICTED covers the landmark London demonstrations of 2008 and 2009. Its photographs show the fury resulting from the Israeli bombardment of Palestine (Gaza and Stop the War), grief over terror attacks in India (Mumbai), opposition to media harassment (Section 76), outrage at atrocities in the DRC (Congo), anger at the controversial ‘kettling’ of anti-capitalist protesters (G20: Day), night time confrontations with police in Bishopsgate (G20: Night) and shock at the concentration camps in Sri Lanka (Tamils).

CONFLICTED presents a unique account of these events, reaching beyond the news headlines. Written as a journal, the author’s first-hand descriptions are those of a compassionate photojournalist; a witness to both outrages and acts of restraint. The format is simple: each chapter of the book is prefaced by Mark Esper’s diary, setting the scene with photographs individually captioned, giving added detail and insight into the scene.


A PHOTO BOOK FOR OUR TIME

“… these photographs wonderfully capture the new spirit that is abroad.” Alexei Sayle

That spirit of protest is in the forefront of the world media like never before as recent events in the Middle East have shown. As the UK government’s cuts start to take a hold, protests and passions are set to soar in the run-up to London Olympics in 2012. With the Police permanently under the spotlight and tensions running high newspaper headlines are guaranteed to always return to the same touchstone moment: Spring 2009 and the G20 protests where an innocent newspaper seller lost his life. The controversy of this single event is still alive. As the discrepancies between police and media reports still cast a shadow on the future, readers will want to know more. What really happened? How did it feel to be there at those protests?

CONFLICTED: London’s Faces of Protest is the book that puts a human face on these headlines.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Esper is a member of the British Association of Journalists, and works as a freelance photo-journalist and contributor to the New York based photo agency Polaris ImagesCONFLICTED: London’s Faces of Protest is his first book of photographs.

For a more detailed biography of Mark Esper and editor, Robin Bell…