In Europe (and we see this all over the world now) we also have what I would call network surveillance, for example the "Data Retention Directive" in EU[0].
The philosophy is: «We are observing you and saving the data, but if you do not do anything illegal no one would ever see what we have recorded. So, you can't really call it surveillance."
These are actual arguments made in this debate, and it reminds me that we are not only under surveillance by cameras, but also online.
What this guy is doing in the videos is (probably) not illegal, just really offensive and obtrusive. Equally disrespectful are the surveillance cameras, only they are hidden away. Out of sight, out of mind.