Kanye West hits out at paparazzi after arrest
Kanye West calls for legal measures against paparazzi
Also In The News
|
Steven Gerrard is out of England's friendly with Germany on Wednesday with a leg injury. |  |
Monday, 17, Nov 2008 10:26
Kanye West has called for legal measure against paparazzi photographers breaching celebrities' personal space.
The Chicago rapper was arrested on Friday - and later released without charge - after a "thirsty paparazzo" attempted to photograph him as he left a Newcastle club.
Writing on his personal blog, the 31-year-old explained he was not charged and did not assault anyone but called for a law to prevent paparazzi intrusion.
"When will there be a law passed that simply enforces that someone has to ask to take a photograph of you? That would seem like common courtesy," he said.
"Right now the paps are above the law and the people they shoot are below it. What should be illegal is pictures taken with the intent to sell… like drugs with the intent to sell... or crossing customs with enough merchandise to have the intent to sell."
The Stronger star claimed members of the paparazzi resort to "by any means necessary" behaviour that endangers their safety and that of their intended photographic subjects.
Freelance photographer Terry Blackburn - who filed the complaint against West - said the incident occurred as the hip-hop mogul was leaving the Tup Tup nightclub.
"Just as soon as I put my camera up to my face, that was it - he just pushed it in my face," he told BBC Radio 1Xtra, claiming the incident left his nose "cut open".
But West said: "[Mr Blackburn] felt he had more rights to my space than me, so I put my hand up to prevent him from taking my image.
"I didn't assault him, merely putting my hand up to cover his lens. My security yelled, 'Get the camera off him.'
"I guess in all the commotion the camera scraped his nose."
He added: "You shouldn't be able to sell a picture of me without my permission. I am not a celebrity. I'm a normal person that's just famous. I put my hand up to the camera in self-defence!
"The fact that he could get me arrested off a mere complaint but I can't ask him to stop taking pictures of me is very lopsided."
Kanye West's new album 808s and Heartbreak is released on November 24th.