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Now naked cyclists can protest in city without fear of arrest
9:42am Friday 25th May 2007
Comments (79)Protesters have been told they can get their kit off for a naked bike ride next month despite earlier warnings they faced arrest.
Sussex Police have backed down in a row with organisers of the Brighton leg of the World Naked Bike Ride after originally telling the cyclists they would be arrested for causing "harassment, alarm or distress".
Nick Sayers, one of the organisers of the ride, who stepped down during the row, has welcomed the news.
He said: "The person who liaised with the Metropolitan Police for the ride in London came down and spoke to Sussex Police. They had to concede that naked demonstration was legal in this case.
"It's great news and although I've stepped down as main organiser of the event I'm still helping out by advising the people who have stepped in.
"I'm bringing a rickshaw for the ride for my pregnant girlfriend.
"Hopefully if things are good we'll get about 200 to 300 people taking part in Brighton this year, compared to 160 last year for our first event."
The international event, held in about 50 cities, is organised to highlight oil dependency and the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads, while also celebrating the human body.
Mr Sayers added: "It was a scorcher last year and people are passionate about the issue so hopefully they'll come out rain or shine - after all, the human body is waterproof."
Last year participants assembled at The Level to begin the seven-mile ride around Brighton and Hove via the Palace Pier, the Royal Pavilion, Churchill Square, Hove Town Hall and the West Pier before finishing two hours later at Black Rock.
However Brighton and Hove's police chief Paul Pearce told The Argus the force's line had not changed since Mr Sayers originally sought advice from Sussex Police on staging the event. He said: "We have said nothing different and our line has been completely consistent. If they do nothing wrong we'll do nothing but if they do then we will make arrests. This is such a minor thing for Brighton and Hove and it's not like one of the big demonstrations we have. They are simply trying to get publicity for their event."
The ride will start on Saturday, June 9 at 10am at The Level and will take the same route as the 2006 event.
- Is a naked bike ride appropriate for a Saturday morning in the city? What do you think of the apparent police climbdown? Leave your comments below.
Your Say YourArgus
arnold, 943-924 says...
1:00pm Fri 25 May 07
Bunch of freaks!!
Nick, Hove says...
1:16pm Fri 25 May 07
The ride is a fun event enjoyed by participants and bystanders alike. Come join us!
What the article doesn't mention is:
* The rickshaw was kindly lent to us by JUGS Indian Furniture (44 Blatchington Road, Hove)
* My girlfriend is due to give birth any day and has a massive bump to prove it. Unfortunately they chose a photo that doesn't show this!
* You can find out more about the ride at www.worldnakedbikeri
de.org/uk/brighton
Nick, Hove says...
1:18pm Fri 25 May 07
http://tinyurl.com/2
bxoq3
Paul, Brighton says...
1:26pm Fri 25 May 07
Let the small minded nimbys go cower in a darkened room! lol
Andrew, Patcham says...
1:28pm Fri 25 May 07
I'm not doing that again. It became very painful when you came to pass on the baton...
Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
Alex, Brighton says...
1:28pm Fri 25 May 07
sue wrote:Anti social behaviour! Are you mad!
It is just another example of bullying behaviour by cyclists and the police back down yet again. It is anti social behaviour which Sussec Police do nothing about. Brighton is not the place to be.
It is simply human beings in their natrual form, how we were intended! I am by no means a naturist but I dont understand why people get so offended by the human body? Do you revolt at the sight of your own body?
You have the right to put on clothes every day whether other people like them or not and we have to put up with your choices. These people get to be how they want for ONE day and your mortified! YOU disgust me not them!!
Dave, Hove says...
1:49pm Fri 25 May 07
arnold wrote:Arnold - you have been told. Freaks? What did you say on your post about burnt out cars. You are a total ****.
But why would they want to? Bunch of freaks!!
Brian, Brighton says...
2:42pm Fri 25 May 07
Obviously Sue has a problem! She might not agree with it BUT it a great step for democracy.
Dave, Brighton says...
7:37pm Fri 25 May 07
Hugo Jinks, says...
9:17pm Fri 25 May 07
Dave wrote:It would make the biology class easier to teach.
If a naked man was standing outside the school gates, would that be ok?
Tim, Brighton says...
7:27pm Sat 26 May 07
Oh come on.. the kids would just throw rocks at him!
Ian Freeston, Kemp town Brighton UK says...
10:18am Sun 27 May 07
Qoute..........
"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
sc, Brighton says...
11:25am Sun 27 May 07
Roger Green, Brighton says...
12:50pm Sun 27 May 07
marc, brighton says...
11:10pm Sun 27 May 07
Norman, Hove says...
11:14am Mon 28 May 07
bomber, brighton says...
2:34pm Mon 28 May 07
try putting lights on yer bikes / stop riding around on pavements and growing up!!!
any one wanting to ride around brighton with no clothes on must be mentaly deranged !! what for?
so you got a bike ! so what! put lights on the poxy things and stop towing yer kids around in the little wheel barrow thing that some ov you green machine mob do use lights and get a f---ing life!
bomber, brighton says...
6:40pm Mon 28 May 07
If you do not like it , stay indoor or move out of this fantastic city.
mark i have been here all my life 45 years i aint moving out !
not because of a load of dick heads that think it will be a laugh to cycle around with no clothes on , if there were any morality amongst them
they wouldent do it!
all you cyclists out there put lights on yer bikes and use them keep off the pavements and belive me the public /car users would think a lot more ov you!
Jonesy, says...
7:07pm Mon 28 May 07
A grumpy, intolerant taxi driver? Whatever next!
dave, Brighton says...
9:36pm Mon 28 May 07
Anyone care to answer what the diffence is between a flasher at the school gates and those on bikes?
bomber, brighton says...
1:15am Tue 29 May 07
whay are you talking about! grumpy? me , no sir,cabbie? yes sir!intolerant ? no sir! ( fail to see what my job has to do with it?) but i tell you what ! i dont care too much about cyclists they dont bother me in the slightest! in fact its a good mode of transport i do it myself ( only about 4 miles a day ! and the london to brighton 3 times)but i use lights and dont ride on pavements!unlike 70% of all the other idiots i see ! some have the hat and then no lights at 1 oclock in the morning ! when ime trying to earn a living,good fun aint it!riding around at night completly invisable because the 18 year old kid in his 2 bob fiesta drives around with full beam on! and now to celebrate the cycle we are going to ride around without no clothes on at 3 miles an hour!
Jonesy please!
bomber, brighton says...
1:37am Tue 29 May 07
Jonesy you want a cab you come to me , you want a paper go to the news agents.
i wont drive you mad following you along the street telling you you need a cab.
you want to walk up and down my street bollocky that will **** me off and 99% of all ov brightons population,theres a time and place for every thing as well you know. i wonder how long i would last walking up and down the street shouting out i am hetrosexual?
but i wouldent because no one gives a f--k ! so you got a bike! again who cares.
bomber, brighton says...
1:40am Tue 29 May 07
Nigel75, Haywards Heath says...
7:14am Tue 29 May 07
And bomber - I don't understand your thing about "wandering up and down shouting about your sexuality". This has got nothing to do with sexuality! (The 'Norman' idiot doesn't seem to understand this either)
All the info is on the WNBR website, but if you're still not sure about the reasons:
- We are too dependent on oil. It's not going to last forever, it's damaging our planet, polluting our cities and causing wars.
- Thousands of people die on our roads needlessly thanks to our over-dependency on cars - pedestrians, cyclists and fellow motorists.
So this is a fun way of protesting, once a year, and suggesting that bikes hold part of the answer to the abovementioned problems.
And why naked? Why not! It's partly to do with showing how vulnerable cyclists are beside the car, and partly for fun. The amount of times motorists say "I didn't see you there" - maybe this time I'll be seen! (though I do agree with you about lights - but that's different issue)
And what have you got against "little wheel barrow thing that some ov you green machine mob do "?
I take it you mean bike trailers? I don't use one, but my friend does. It's an invaluable way of getting her child from A to B. Her son isn't old enough to ride a bike yet. Do you think she should buy a car just to travel the two mile journey? Or pay for a ride in your taxi? Why?
You think this will **** off 99% of Brightonians. Sorry, but that's not true. The reaction to last year's ride was overwhelmingly positive - I'd say around your figure of 99%, as it happens. Of course, there were some that didn't like it, but that's the nature of a protest, isn't it? Other (more conventional protests) in town centres provoke a far more mixed reaction that the smiles and applause which greeting last year's WNBR.
And if you still don't like it? Fair enough. But it's once a year, for a couple of hours, as opposed to the 365 day 24 hour stranglehold that cars have on our cities, our health and our economy. A couple of hours of tolerance goes a long way.
You finish with the charming words:
"get a f---ing life!"
If you see us on 9th June (or, dare I say, join us), you'll see lots of life. That's the whole point. Lots more life than you see behind the wheel of a car.
But "f**king "? No, you won't see any of that. Despite what Norman might sadly be hoping for.
bomber, brighton says...
12:32pm Tue 29 May 07
people that went to watch you all last year were obviousley interested in seeing a load of people riding around bollocky otherwise they would not have been there,and the people that would have given it feedback would have been the people that were there so i guess the feedback was all good!
bike trailers? if i cant see you i cant see the two year old tot strapped in to it !
and they dont have a choise, they are dangerouse as you say on our over congested roads !
if i was out side your house now walking up and down with no clothes on i would be knicked for indecency and half your street would be calling me a nutter!
the whole thing is about cycle awareness?
i work 7 days a week and every night along western road are cyclists with out no high vis no lights no hats ! and i sit behind then when they ride in the centre of the road with out a care in the world !
now if you want to promote the cycle make sure you get all of the cyclists in brighton to act in the correct way because at the moment most cyclists are a pain in the ar-e !
but remember i am the moronic cabbie that uses lights and high vis and cycles every day and i ride on the correct part of the road, and back to this cycling nude thing , it is optional if you go riding around with nothing on! that decision is up to you,
but on the day of the bike ride i will be working , so if you do go nude i will have to see all you lot bollocky for me it aint optional ! and nor has anyone else got the option .
cos you will all be there riding in the middle of the road holding all the traffic up with out a care in the world!
just like any other day.
marK, brighton says...
12:48pm Tue 29 May 07
bomber, brighton says...
12:54pm Tue 29 May 07
its not about sexuality that was not my point! i was giving you an example!
every minority group seems to want to make there presence known,
i dont care if you ride a bike why should i , i dont care if some one is christian muslim gay!
i dont give a sh-t !
and why would any of the above want to let me know! but they do! and its forced on me !
gay pride, nude cycling, muslin faith vs cristian,
really i aint bothered about someones faith, sexuallity,
SO WHAT YOU RIDE A BIKE!
mark, brighton says...
1:01pm Tue 29 May 07
jenny, says...
7:54pm Tue 29 May 07
rose west, rampton says...
8:21pm Tue 29 May 07
Nigel75, Haywards Heath says...
8:28pm Tue 29 May 07
people that went to watch you all last year were obviousley interested in seeing a load of people riding around bollocky otherwise they would not have been there
Do you think so? Are you suggesting that Churchill Square would have been deserted on a sunny Saturday if it weren't for our presence? I'm flattered, but I don't think so.
Oh and next time you're on your bike huddled subserviently by the kerb, berating other cyclists who occupy more of the carriageway, you might want to consider these words, from 'Cyclecraft ', a respected book published by the Government:
"Good road positioning is not about keeping you out of the path of other traffic as much as possible. Contrary to popular belief, this is not necessarily the best way to maximise safety."
John Franklin, Cyclecraft, The Stationery Office. 2004
You're not holding up the traffic on your bike, bomber. You ARE the traffic!
Happy riding.
bomber, brighton says...
1:34am Wed 30 May 07
just got in from work !
39 cyclists , 31 without lights 17 going the wrong way up north street without lights bar one (to b fair)!
class 1 hgv, class 1 pcv , full bike , car , taxi,
oh yea and clean FACT,
dont tell me about road usage or correct positioning !
cos ive forgotten what you aint learned yet! and i or one ov my colleagues will be the person that takes you home this sat night comming !not no nude cyclist,
and no churchill square would be busy if a nuclear bomb went off at the old steine , promise you it wernt you lot that made it busy
bomber, brighton says...
2:09am Wed 30 May 07
dont know the meaning of the word!
Nigel75, Haywards Heath says...
6:18am Wed 30 May 07
1. Bikes without lights. - Already told you I agree with you. 100%. You can stop going on about it if you like.
2. Road positioning - I'm not telling you anything - that's official government advice I quoted. Maybe you've forgotten more than you think.
3. Churchill Square - Exactly my point. Glad you agree. So your first paragraph of Tuesday 12.32 doesn't really add up, does it?
people that went to watch you all last year were obviousley interested in seeing a load of people riding around bollocky otherwise they would not have been there
bomber, brighton says...
4:26pm Wed 30 May 07
i can tell you and your partner will be there!
( no kids of course )
perhaps you can wave at Ian Freeston, from Kemp towm you probably know him being a cyclist an all! yes it all adds up too me son!
bomber, brighton says...
7:15pm Wed 30 May 07
There's Tamsin Williams , who's three months pregnant, Adrian Bates, a business development expert, Nick Sayers , a graphic designer, Sam Ashton, a teacher and Flick Hague, a make-up artist. For this gang of pink-skinned dippers, this morning's expedition is as essential as breakfast.
"I love it," says Nick. "Everyone thinks we're barking mad, and we are, a bit. But it's a kind of club for eccentrics a bit like a suicide club really."
Nicholas Roe braves biting winds to join Brighton's hardiest swimmers .
clock the names !
in to every thing you two!
bet you turned your gas fire on when you got home?
worried about oil dependancy my a-s!
you just want to get yer kit off your both exabitionists ,
tamsin local artist !
http://68.142.214.24
/photos/nicksayers/4
35290690/in/pool-bri
ghtonswimmingclub/ and
http://68.142.214.24
/photos/nicksayers/3
21494210/in/pool-bri
ghtonswimmingclub/
smoking at 3 months girl yea your worried!!
thats the event oeganisers for you !
bol--cks!
Nigel75, ywards Heath says...
7:46pm Wed 30 May 07
Your 4.26 post - I'm not sure what you mean. Would you like to explain further?
Your 7.15 post - What have you proved there?
Well, you've proved you can use Google. Well done.
You've also proved that in your keenness to be nasty about people you've never met, you didn't take the time to read the words 'fake fags' in the caption of that photo you found.
You found some photos of some friends playing around with some children's sweets. Well done again. Quite the investigative journalist.
You are starting to appear rather desperate. I do hope that's not the case.
Do you think it's time to stop now?
bomber, brighton says...
8:18pm Wed 30 May 07
i am trying to say that if you want to promote cycling , sure promote it but make sure that you talk to cyclists and make sure that they conform properly to the rules of the road.
oil dependancy?
what you dont use a car? nick sayer wouldent being a graphic desighner he can get everywere on a bike ( i think not )
my issue is the nude bit, dont understand?
what are you promoting?
nudity? cycling or oil dependancy?
tell you what ring me on 07748092433 after 9oclock any night , in fact any one can i like a good debate!
Nick, Hove says...
3:35pm Fri 1 Jun 07
My girlfriend doesn't smoke, even when she's not pregnant. Those are children's sweets , as the photo title makes abundantly clear.
I am a successful graphic designer and I don't drive, can't drive and don't particularly want to start. These things are compatible.
So a few of us are members of Brighton Swimming Club. A lot of us "do things differently". So what?!
Take your mean-spirited misanthropy elsewhere.
bomber, brighton says...
5:32pm Fri 1 Jun 07
dont give a monkeys!
the only time you and your girl and all your mates will bother me is when i have to watch you parading around in the middle of the road in the nude !
that i dont want to see ( but i will have to cos i will be at work !)
and you will hold all the traffic up with your banners riding in the middle of the road at 2 mph! nick you want to be an exerbitionist go to the nudist beach do your cycle ride down there, why not? any body that wants to watch can go , its there own free will !
but no you wont, it will be in the middle of brighton so that people have got to see you weather they want to or not!
and you are calling me small minded?
you get your kit off nick tow your pregnant girl about in the trailer !
that will be nice like a queen in a carridge!
for every one to see!
my numbers up there nick and i will take your call , you ring me with your real agenda!
Nigel75, Haywards Heath says...
1:22am Sat 2 Jun 07
the only time you and your girl and all your mates will bother me is when i have to watch you parading around in the middle of the road in the nude !
Is this the same 'bomber' who was frantically cutting and pasting from hugely irrelevant stuff he'd desperately found on Google? So not quite "the only time you and your girl and all your mates will bother me " then, or why on earth would you you have gone to the trouble of desperately muck-raking over things as irrelevant as Brighton Swimming Club and children's sweets?
dont give a monkeys!
Nonsense! You've made quite clear your fear of anyone who sees the world a little different to your own blinkered view.
Make your mind up. Or, on the other hand, keep going, as you are doing a superb job of showing Brighton anfd Hove what a small-minded bigot you really are. Such a shame you hide behind a silly pseudonym.
bomber, brighton says...
4:06am Sat 2 Jun 07
WHAY BECAUSE I DONT WANT ANY NUDE CYCLIST RIDING AROUND IN FRONT OF ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY?
NORMAL PEOPLE WOULD NOT EVEN CONTEMPLATE DOING IT!pseudonym!
YOU GOT MY NUMBER RING IT!
YOU WONT GET ME HIDING ANYWERE!
OH BOMBER !
IVE HAD THE NICK NAME 30 YEARS,
bomber, brighton says...
4:43am Sat 2 Jun 07
you want to demonstrate go down madera drive where it wont mess up the whole town for the morning! all you want to do is cause as much disruption as possible! and you will !
instead of all sighning a petition and sending it to your local M.P were if your concern really is about oil, it would make much more sence, sorry boys and girls its all a bit transparent, you lot can carry on ,take all your clothes of parade around the streets naked so all the people that are going about there day can see you including all the kids, and ime sure you will all feel very happy with yourselfs!
and you nigel call me a narrow minded bigot!
so you will be there exposing your self to every one that is there? now that is small mind-minded!
Mike Bliss, Burgess Hill says...
10:00am Sat 2 Jun 07
g.com/thebliss ride2007)
bomber, brighton says...
2:42pm Sat 2 Jun 07
read my earlier post!
Nigel75,
just got in from work !
39 cyclists , 31 without lights 17 going the wrong way up north street without lights bar one (to b fair)!
so the answer is to get your kit off and parade around!
NO THE ANSWER IS TO GET LIGHTS USE THEM AND RIDE SENSABLY! AND NIGEL AGREES WITH ME!
YOU MIGHT BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR BODY MIKE BLISS BUT I DONT THINK ALL THE KIDS THAT WILL SEE YOU WILL BE!
IT AINT ABOUT CYCLING OR OIL , ITS AN EXCUSE MIKE BLISS FOR YOU AND YOUR LIKE TO SHOW YOUR BODY PARTS OFF TO PEOPLE THAT DONT GIVE A F--K THAT YOU HAVE GOT A PAIR OF BO---CKS !
WRITE TO YOUR M.P MIKE TO RUN A CYCLING CLASS SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE TOLD THAT ITS SILLY TO RIDE AT NIGHT WITH OUT LIGHTS AND WE MUST BE TOLD THAT ITS NOT RIGHT TO RIDE ON PAVEMENTS OR GO THROUGH RED LIGHTS! AINT ABOUT CYCLING OR OIL OR NOTHING LIKE IT!
YA JUST WANT TO GET YA C--K OUT MIKE LIKE ALL OF YOU THERE AND HAVE A COUPLE OF HOURS OF ANARCHY.
Robert, Brighton says...
11:36pm Sat 2 Jun 07
bomber, brighton says...
4:05am Sun 3 Jun 07
not at all !
me numbers up there mate you can call me , you would find me the most friendly happy go lucky soul out there !
despite how ive been percieved on here,
BUT there is a time and place for every thing,
Nigel75, Haywards Heath says...
8:53am Sun 3 Jun 07
bomber - Why on earth do you keep bring up the issue of lights? Yes, you and I may agree that more cyclists should pay attention to their use, but it doesn't mean it has anything to do with whether or not WNBR should be welcomed with a smile. It's about as ridiculous as suggesting that old people have no right to protest for better pensions because a lot of them are guilty of taking back their library books late! It's irrelavent, so please don't misquote me.
I DONT THINK ALL THE KIDS THAT WILL SEE YOU WILL BE!
Here we go again. It's so easy to use children as an excuse for your own prudishness, isn't it? This has been explained much earlier by someone else - Maybe you should take your own advice and read ealier posts more carefully. Children do not share adults' insecurities and hang-ups about nudity. Do you really think there is something so awful about the human body that it will corrupt young minds? Children care about this sort of thing a lot less than you're assuming.
AN EXCUSE MIKE BLISS FOR YOU AND YOUR LIKE TO SHOW YOUR BODY PARTS OFF TO PEOPLE THAT DONT GIVE A F--K THAT YOU HAVE GOT A PAIR OF BO---CKS !
Once again, you seem obsessed with the idea of other people's genitalia... Why is this?
YA JUST WANT TO GET YA C--K OUT MIKE
other people's genitals yet again...
LIKE ALL OF YOU THERE AND HAVE A COUPLE OF HOURS OF ANARCHY
Not quite. Exchange the word 'Anarchy' for 'Fun' and you might start to get the idea. Your idea of fun may be different to others', but as I say, a bit of tolerance goes a long way.
And you tell us you are:
the most friendly happy go lucky soul out there
Really? Is that why you say things like
get a f---ing life!to people who disagree?
And is it "the most friendly happy go lucky soul out there " who seemed to desperate to search the internet for ways to make nasty innaccurate judgements about the event organiser and his girlfriend?
By the way, I'm still waiting for you to explain your post of Wednesday 30th at 4.26pm :
ooh nigel!
i can tell you and your partner will be there!
( no kids of course )
perhaps you can wave at Ian Freeston, from Kemp towm you probably know him being a cyclist an all! yes it all adds up too me son!
What was that about, bomber?
bomber, brighton says...
3:09pm Sun 3 Jun 07
ha ha
have a good day on the 9th nigel!
dont try and make me look a mug on here nigel !
my books open ive posted my phone number, you want to have a propper pop at me well ring it!
no i aint friendly when some one is doing some thing as bloody stupid as what you lot are going to do! and nigel your last post makes every one realise how desperate you are !
remember all ov ya ive posted my phone number on here !
i aint hiding!
you can all ring me to hear my views and tell me yours !
especially you weener man!
bomber, brighton says...
3:40pm Sun 3 Jun 07
you sound like a little camp man that wants to keep touching my leg !
and no i am not homephobic nigel !you sound like one of them little yappy dogs that pis--s every one off cos they dont stop yapping! but i dont mind dogs! just not them ones,
mark, brighton says...
5:24pm Sun 3 Jun 07
bomber, brighton says...
12:54am Mon 4 Jun 07
I thank you!!!!
Rambot, hove says...
2:23am Mon 4 Jun 07
If i was to take my 6 year old grandson to the town on any particular day would i have to answer any strange questions from him.
Now i apply this to the day of the bike ride, and i feel sure he would ask me, "grandad why are all those people riding bikes with no clothes on." i would have to try and explain to him that they are protesting at certain things and that they are doing it in the nude. will he then grow up thinking that everytime he wants to dis agree with something that it is ok to do it in the nude. I would surely have to explain to him that he cannot do that, because it is wrong. so i feel sure that it is not right for these people to do this, just have a bike ride, enjoy it and make your stance but please for the sake of innocent children who may get the wrong message do it with some clothes on. or alternatively wear something bright or funny. You do not have to appear nude to get your message across.
simon, London says...
7:03pm Mon 4 Jun 07
As to the "apparent police climbdown" its a question of what the legal situation is ,not the ability of "naked cyclists to intimidate the police".i did find that an amusing idea,given that its the car that does the intimidating in our culture .
Thanks,
~~~^^^~~~simon
peter jones, witney says...
10:33pm Mon 4 Jun 07
1. with the sexualised imagery pervasive on the internet it is good that a child has some other frameworks for the naked body such as demonstration or life drawing etc as the child grows into an adult this more rounded view is what I wish for my child.
2. Our enviromental disaster is already plunging deeper than we had predicted. If you thing that your child will not despise energy guzzlers when in the future they are finnished think again!!
sue, Hove says...
12:59pm Fri 25 May 07