Gaffing is basically when some event or chaos occurs (say a car accident or a fire), and bystanders mostly appear with cameras and are simply trying to take pictures of the wounded, the wreckage, or the dead folks....then they turn around an hour or two later, putting the images on social media.
Up until ten years ago....it really didn't amount to anything. With the arrival of Twitter and Facebook.....it's now a problem.
I got reminded of this because of a bus accident back in mid-November in Wiesbaden, with a older German guy who ended up dead because of the out-of-control bus, and a number of folks gathered in the minutes of the accident....taking video and pictures.
Today, the local news in Wiesbaden put out the word....the police are looking for a couple of folks and they have pictures of them to circulate. The police intend to charge them with crimes (it's a rather new law revolving around gaffing).
If they find the guys? At the very least, you will get a summons and have to appear in court....meaning you'd best hire a lawyer, and you might be out a minimum of 500 Euro on legal fees. They might pursue some jail-time, and a potential fine.
Avoiding accidents? My general advice is that you really need to avoid being seen with your cellphone in hands at any accident. Even if they think you took pictures....you could be in trouble. Simply get out of the zone and move on....don't stand around or be noted for anything.
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