A pianist in London was harassed by Chinese tourists
In a London shopping center, Brendan Kavanaugha British pianist and content creator with more than two million subscribers on YouTube, was involved in an altercation with a Chinese television crew.
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During a live broadcast of one of his public appearances, the broadcast was interrupted when members of a Chinese television crew asked him to delete a video containing images of their faces, even though he was in a public place. The incident, witnessed by hundreds of online viewers, went viral and sparked millions of views on the platform.
“This is crazy,” he commented. Lee Harris, GB News Staff. Kavanaugh was confused during the incident: “I don’t know, is it allowed? Not allowed?”.
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Then a member of the Asian TV crew replied: “This is not allowed because we are from Chinese television, so this cannot be revealed“. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh questioned whether such an action could lead to problems with the Chinese regime. “Are we not allowed to film here according to Chinese law?” asked the pianist.
One of the men in the group, in turn, intervened and explained: “It would be very helpful if what you are doing doesn't show our faces on TV“. But Kavanaugh defended his right to record in public spaces: “We're in a free country, friend, you're not in communist China now, you know that.” In response, a member of the group accused Kavanaugh of racism: “It I'm sorry, that's racist.” The pianist repeated: “We're in a free country, friend, we can film wherever we want.” “Call the police if you want. When you are in Rome, you like the Romans,” he repeated.
Next, a woman in the group argued that she owned image rights and didn't want to share her image. “We are British citizens,” the woman said, after which Kavanaugh pointed to the Chinese flag they were carrying. “You have the Chinese flag, show the Chinese flag,” he said, trying to get closer to the flag.
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As the police approached, Kavanaugh clarified: “No, I said you were waving a communist flag.” A police officer then intervened and asked if the pianist had tried to touch the woman. “I didn’t try to touch her, that’s why I have a camera,” he replied.
The individuals requested that the video of their outreach be removed and not used on their channel, saying it generated revenue and that they worked for a company where their faces were not allowed to be shown.
Brendan speaks to a Chinese citizen who insults him
Kavanaugh accused the woman of being his “Private security“. He maintained his position and stated: “We are in a free country, we are in a democracy, we are not in China and that is not racist, it is the truth.” The official replied: “Exactly, but something like that is allowed “You can't say something.” “Say something, that we're in a free country?” Kavanaugh asked. “No, we’re not in China,” she said.
Speaking to the New York Post, British lawyer Daniel ShenSmith, known on the YouTube platform as BlackBeltBarrister, explained that public figure Brett Kavanaugh was right. ShenSmith asserted that there is “no automatic right to privacy” in public spaces. This legal perspective has become more relevant in the context of debates about privacy and individual rights in places open to the public.
ShenSmith explained that a person who is in a location that is open and easily accessible to the public, such as an event or a traffic-free area where filming is taking place, cannot expect the same level of privacy as they would in a private setting. In addition, he emphasized that there is no obligation for filmmakers to delete the captured images, limit their distribution on the Internet or provide copies of them.
The legal trend, according to ShenSmith's observations, reflects a balance between freedom of expression and the right to privacy.
The legal expert's legal interpretation provides a clarifying perspective on situations that often cause controversy among the public. This perspective is of particular interest to journalists, content creators and the general public, who are often involved in recording and distributing videos and photos in publicly accessible environments.