Durian
Über Member
- Location
- Chiang Mai. Thailand.
Prosecuted for what? Trying to keep the highway clear and preventing the scum anarchists from ruling the streets?
Mass arrests 'Critical Mass' cycle ride during Olympics opening
- Thread starter lordloveaduck
- Start date
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Prosecuted for what? Trying to keep the highway clear and preventing the scum anarchists from ruling the streets?
Andrew_Culture
Internet Marketing bod
- Location
- The People's Republic Of Suffolk.
No such thing as 'scum anarchists' any more than there are 'scum white people'. Anarchy is a very broad term that has been coloured by excitable news corps looking for something to scare people into buying newspapers.
"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.
Noam Chomsky"
Every Anarchist I know of is a lot more interested in pursuing peaceful self-reliance and community resilience than trying to punch policemen.
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Sent from settee #2 - steel & wooden frame, deep padded seat, low profile DFS 2000 model.
How about meeting on the same night as Critical Mass (we could call it NOTCritical Mass) and block them as they attempt to ride?
In all seriousness, it wouldn't surprise me if those that already privately distance themselves from CM start to do so more publicly. Time for cyclists to reclaim reclaiming the streets!
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
If people watch the longer version of the video, the 'disabled' man in the 'wheelchair' clearly stands up and rugby-tackles the police officer onto the bonnet of the car......
It seems from reports that about five times as many as usual turned up, they were asked not to go north of the river into the Olympics area but split up, crossed multiple bridges and then converged on Stratford at the peak of arrivals for the opening ceremony. I can't help thinking that there were a lot of non-critical massers there who were intent on disrupting the opening ceremony. And then they act all surprised that they are stopped.
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Do critical massers normally ride out to Stratford? I thought they normally stayed in 'town', wherever 'town' is?
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Pretty much sums it up for me too......100 normally ride round parliament square and Oxford Street, but suddenly 500 turn up and decide they fancy a ride out to Stratford?
Ian Cooper
Expat Yorkshireman
- Location
- Silver Spring, MD, USA
As a proud anarchist, I kinda resent being characterized as 'scum'. Anarchists were the ones who made sure, at the cost of many of their lives, that people couldn't be required to work 16 hours a day. A little respect, based on the history of the movement and what it has done for us all, might be in order. I'm sure the Haymarket martyrs were derided as 'scum' too.
Not that I'm a fan of 'critical mass'. I think it's a juvenile event that can only harm the cause of cycling. But it's a lot more misguided and foolish than it is evil.
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Something fishy going on, and I'm not talking about the contents of Vinokourov's water bottle
Durian
Über Member
- Location
- Chiang Mai. Thailand.
There must be different levels of anarchist then. The group you describe sound as though they're the sort of anarchists who meet up over a bottle of wine and some pasta and think that whilst life is not great we're not actually going to do anything about it at the moment. Should things get worse then we might consider going in to the nearest town and cause a slight nuisance to vent our frustrations.
On the other hand, at the other end of the scale, there are anarchists who want to destroy everything about the current system and have no qualms about not just punching a policeman but sticking a knife in to them aswell. These are totally different people to your version of an anarchist.
So there are scum anarchists who are willing to cause mayhem when the opportunity arises, and there are anarchists, similar to yourself it seems, who prefer the non- violent approach.
jayonabike
Powered by caffeine & whisky
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Just as cycling is being show in a favourable light after the TdF and with todays road race these critical mass tossers have to come along and make sure all that hard work is undone. What did they think was going to happen on the opening night of the Olympics?
Tiberius Baltar
Active Member
- Location
- Liverpool
All this seems slightly over analysed in my opinion. There was a protest earlier in the day by London cab drivers who staged a go slow through certain parts of the city and that all went off without a hitch because they were instructed proir to thier protest that there were certain conditions being placed on them so as not to disrupt the opening ceremony and to ensure that only legitimate protesters took part. The cabbies protested (which was thier right) got thier point across and then went about thier day with no major issues.
The problem with these cyclists was that thier original route was clearly changed and they descended en masse to intentionally disrupt the event and inevitably clash with the police.
If the officer who sprayed cs gas into the disabled man has done wrong then he will be dealt with as long as the people who complain do it properly and within the law. This was not a peaceful and respectful demonstration, these people blatantly wanted to cause a nuisance and where dealt with as the police saw fit.
I personally do not like the police. I have found them to be condesending under trained and generally non cooperative when dealing with them in the past and I tend to avoid all contact with them. However they are only human and to be surrounded by a crowd of baying protesters is not a good place to be so maybe his reaction was a bit ott but what would you do with a mob descending on you?
All I can see is the same stupid "protesters" of the kind who tried to sabotage the TdF recently. They dont share any of my ideas and they dont represent me and they were not protesting in a manner which benefits anyone.
The problem with these cyclists was that thier original route was clearly changed and they descended en masse to intentionally disrupt the event and inevitably clash with the police.
If the officer who sprayed cs gas into the disabled man has done wrong then he will be dealt with as long as the people who complain do it properly and within the law. This was not a peaceful and respectful demonstration, these people blatantly wanted to cause a nuisance and where dealt with as the police saw fit.
I personally do not like the police. I have found them to be condesending under trained and generally non cooperative when dealing with them in the past and I tend to avoid all contact with them. However they are only human and to be surrounded by a crowd of baying protesters is not a good place to be so maybe his reaction was a bit ott but what would you do with a mob descending on you?
All I can see is the same stupid "protesters" of the kind who tried to sabotage the TdF recently. They dont share any of my ideas and they dont represent me and they were not protesting in a manner which benefits anyone.
I haven't read all this and I'm not going to (Not in London) but...
Surely NOT spraying him with pepper spray is discriminatory because the reason you wouldn't be spraying him is because he's disabled.
I don't understand it - the world is supposed to be equal (I know it isn't the case) but people can't have it both ways.
Surely NOT spraying him with pepper spray is discriminatory because the reason you wouldn't be spraying him is because he's disabled.
I don't understand it - the world is supposed to be equal (I know it isn't the case) but people can't have it both ways.
