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We Generally Don’t Condone Violence, But…

Oregan locals rough up filmer... but did he kinda ask for it?

Oregan filmer Ben Mater took this footage of an incident at a lefthander in the gloomy Pacific North West, involving some disgruntled locals. The main crux of their beef? Mater filming the spot.

Now violence is bad, we know that. Fisticuffs are not the right thing to do, whether defending the honour of a surf spot, your mother’s reputation, your football team, etc.

But.

Listen to Mater’s voice. It actually sounds like he’s trying to piss em off.

Our advice, if you get asked politely, or impolitely to stop filming a sensitive surf spot? Stop filming, probably. The world needs another surf edit less urgently than you might imagine.

(Read how to avoid surf rage here)

Here’s what Mater told STAB:

“Yesterday before work I went to the beach to take some wave photos, had a nice gray/blue tint with the overcast. Several surfers assaulted me for taking photos of “their spot”. The main person shown here attacked me several times, tried to take my camera, and then he put me in a choke hold. You can see him holding my camera bag that he took. After the first attack where he knocked me to the ground, I tried leaving, but had to stop to recover. Another surfer walked by and have on video him saying: beat him up and smash his camera. I fought the best I could, but I was protecting the camera, and left my neck exposed. After about a minute of me holding back his arm, pleading to stop, he put a knee in my back and then I lost. BUT before I blacked out, I removed the memory card and put it in my pocket. What shit huh. When I woke up on the beach — lucky it was low tide — my camera was gone. The video of it all — I warned them I was recording it — was given to the police and I’m told they were identified. I’m not doing so well right now. Wondering why it’s worth going on, the way the world has treated me. But I’m ever so lucky to have a few great friends here who have given me some support in this dark hour. I’m homeless (but not helpless), living out of my car, but that pails compared to not having a camera by my side. I’ll be posting everything I’ve shot since I got the camera a few weeks ago. It’s what is keeping me going.”

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