Mass arrests 'Critical Mass' cycle ride during Olympics opening

[Tiberius Baltar]

"Who are we and what are our aims?
We are not sure, opinions seem to differ. There are probably as many aims of CM as there are participants. Each individual comes there with his or her own idea of what it's about, and the sum of this makes up the Mass. We have no organisers and no planned routes and this website does not try to be representative of CM in any way."

I felt like this was relevant, this is the opening paragraph from the Critical Mass London website. Doesn't really fill me with any amount of confidence if they don't even know what they are aiming for themselves! The more I look into this the more embarrassing it becomes. I'm not going to comment any further on this thread as I can't see a clear outcome when talking to these people. Can't see them helping in any way whatsoever.

 

[Cubist]

Fredoutofbed, your profile shows you are still active and reading the replies so far. Help me out here, because so far I have chosen not to read up on CM, except for a brief squint at Wikipedia.

What was the protest aimed at last night?
Are you a long time member or a recent addition to the mass?
How can what happened last night benefit me and other members of this forum in order that we can understand and feel a sense of solidarity with you?

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Jesus Christ, give me fecking stength! I'm sure the family of Ian Tomlinson would be interested to hear about your precious "resentment".

I took part in the CM on Friday night, and I'm glad I did. It was only due to the boneheaded thickness of HM's Hired Thugs that I was able to avoid arrest, no doubt due to the fact that I didn't fit their pre-conceived notions of what an 'activist', 'anarchist' or CM cyclist looked like.

A woman who cycled near me wasn't so lucky. She was pulled from her bike by one of your thuggish colleagues who didn't even have decency to admit he'd done what he did, instead saying that she "cycled into him" before arresting her on some trumped up public order offence. Filthy coward.

Those arguing that CMers should have obediently ridden around a pre-agreed route completely miss the point of CM or peaceful protest. These people are doubtless the sort of person who sagely pronounce that protests, direct action or strikes should only occur "so long as they don't inconvenience anybody"....because that's the point of a bloody protest isn't it?!

In Stratford on Friday you had the irony of an opening ceremony singing the praises of cyclists and Emiline Pankhurst, whilst 600m away you had cops pulling women from bikes....on what grounds?

Good to see some solidarity from the cycling community on cyclechat.net

Sorry, but given that a small boy on a BMW was pulled from his bike merely for being too close to the flame as a security concern, it was inevitable that a large, mass organised cycle protest in the lanes which have been widely advertised as being closed to all but Olympic traffic, would result on mass arrest, which seems to be exactly what CM wanted, so they could then complain about being "repressed".

I am all for using peaceful mass cycles as a protest - see the Love London, Go Dutch protest or the Addison Lee die in. However, MC do this on a monthly basis for reasons that, as yet, remain unclear.

 

[Fredoutofbed]

Sorry, but given that a small boy on a BMW was pulled from his bike merely for being too close to the flame as a security concern, it was inevitable that a large, mass organised cycle protest in the lanes which have been widely advertised as being closed to all but Olympic traffic, would result on mass arrest, which seems to be exactly what CM wanted, so they could then complain about being "repressed".

I am all for using peaceful mass cycles as a protest - see the Love London, Go Dutch protest or the Addison Lee die in. However, MC do this on a monthly basis for reasons that, as yet, remain unclear.

But I wasn't in any Olympic lanes, blocking any highways or doing anything illegal. I was actually heading home at that point.

I agree that if people are acting aggressively, cycling in Olympic lanes or cycling up one way streets then they don't have much grounds for complaint if they are pulled up for that, but I was heading home when it all got ugly and felt the response was needlessly aggressive and harsh.

 

[Fredoutofbed]

Fredoutofbed, your profile shows you are still active and reading the replies so far. Help me out here, because so far I have chosen not to read up on CM, except for a brief squint at Wikipedia.

What was the protest aimed at last night?
Are you a long time member or a recent addition to the mass?
How can what happened last night benefit me and other members of this forum in order that we can understand and feel a sense of solidarity with you?

I'm not a regular CMer, and it wasn't a protest AFAIK (certainly nobody was saying anything about any planned protest). I had no idea where the ride was due to go (as is usually the case) or that cyclists were supposedly banned from vast tracts of the city. I just find it odd that people are condemning people for being 'anarchists' when all they were doing is going for a ride on summer's evening.

 

[Cubist]

I'm not a regular CMer, and it wasn't a protest AFAIK (certainly nobody was saying anything about any planned protest). I had no idea where the ride was due to go (as is usually the case) or that cyclists were supposedly banned from vast tracts of the city. I just find it odd that people are condemning people for being 'anarchists' when all they were doing is going for a ride on summer's evening.

So when you said that you took part in the CM on Friday you were actually just out for a ride, not doing anything illegal or remarkable? You had no agenda and didn't know why the CMers were gathered?

You told us the reason you weren't arrested was because the police officers were too stupid,whereas you now tell us it was because you were actually on your way home, havi g not done anything that would have led to conflict with the police in the first place.

So, which is it?

 

[Tiberius Baltar]

I'm not a regular CMer, and it wasn't a protest AFAIK (certainly nobody was saying anything about any planned protest). I just find it odd that people are condemning people for being 'anarchists' when all they were doing is going for a ride on summer's evening.

I rest my case

 

[lordloveaduck]

No MacB, he did not have the option to walk away, he has a duty to discharge. His use of personal protective equipment is his to justify. Whether or not it was proportionate is a separate matter. However, you have chosen to swallow the context-free deception that the original posters of the edited version have chosen to sell. That you neither know nor care whether the trike rider was being an arse or getting physical demonstrates that in this instance you are not willing to let the cop even start to justify his use of force.

The chap was sitting down.

 

[Fredoutofbed]

So when you said that you took part in the CM on Friday you were actually just out for a ride, not doing anything illegal or remarkable? You had no agenda and didn't know why the CMers were gathered?

You told us the reason you weren't arrested was because the police officers were too stupid,whereas you now tell us it was because you were actually on your way home, havi g not done anything that would have led to conflict with the police in the first place.

So, which is it?

What I meant was that if the police had banned the CM or cyclists from using public highways, then they should have told people that. As far as I'm aware, CM has never been banned for the simple reason that it's just a bunch of folk riding around the city. People might find it bit of pain or an inconvenience, but that's the point of it is it not? You wait a few minutes until the cyclists have gone past and then you carry on.

I obviously can't speak for ever CMer on Friday, but it wasn't as if anyone was planning to blockade the Olympics venue or have a riot. People might say that it was foolish to head out to Stratford and the ride could have taken a different route, but I certainly had no power to tell everyone to turn around and head elsewhere, that's not how CM works.

The point for me is that by the time I'd decided to head home, things had already petered out and people were heading home, yet the police decided to get all heavy handed. I felt it was a completely disproportionate response.

 

[Fredoutofbed]

I rest my case

Not sure what you mean by this. I don't go on every CM as, believe it or not, some people make other plans on a Friday evening. But it was a (rare) sunny evening, I've a new bike, and a ride seemed like fun. I sincerely had no idea that this decision placed me in the same category as a London rioter or terrorist.

 

[Tiberius Baltar]

Not sure what you mean by this. I don't go on every CM as, believe it or not, some people make other plans on a Friday evening. But it was a (rare) sunny evening, I've a new bike, and a ride seemed like fun. I sincerely had no idea that this decision placed me in the same category as a London rioter or terrorist.

I was hoping not to be drawn into anything like this but you set the pecident when you brought up the Tomlinson case then went on to state that the whole point of a protest was to cause inconvenience and hassle in order to get a point across, then you sarcastically made a remark about solidarity within cyclists.
You sir are nothing if not inconsistent with your posts. If it was a nice sunny evening and you wanted to go out for a ride why on earth would you head in the direction of the ceremony and the enforced lanes which even us up north knew about?
Either you were part of the protest in which case you should have the decency and honour to stick to your origional post or as I am starting to suspect you were just mulling about in the area to add to the confusion of this rather childish and stupidly timed "protest"
To be honest I have nothing in common with you as a cyclist I don't share your views about protesting and any normal sane individual would have known, going anywhere near that event was just plainly asking for trouble.
Its nice to be able to demand that we have a right to go where we want but for pity's sake this is an multi billion pound event being broadcast worldwide and we have been asked to cooperate for two weeks. Grow up and cycle on the other side of the river. You may even like the change of scenery for a while.
We all have rights but we also have responsibilities. I can ride where I want but to bring 100 of my pals along with me just pisses people off and is inconsiderate so I wouldn't do it. Especially when the police are jacked up as it is. Thats not being a sheep or bowing to authority thats just common sense.

 

[Andy84]

I wonder how we would all feel if up to 500 ramblers had have decided to exercise their right to peacefully protest the "closure of public spaces for private use" by blocking off part of the road race course yesterday?

Why should they be inconvenienced, and not be able to walk their usual route, just because some overpaid professional cyclists want to come riding through?


I felt embarrassed to be a cyclist yesterday morning when I heard that 100 "cyclists" had been arrested for protesting outside the Olympic stadium

Like someone else pointed out up thread, we've just had the best two weeks of media attention, showing cycling in a good light, and a bunch of morons have pretty much come along and pissed all over the hard work of others.

 

[Red Light]

If the London cabbies can protest without incident what caused the issue with the cyclists?

Not just London cabbies. This protest was of a similar size and at Stratford and went off totally peacefully.

 

[Red Light]

I had no idea where the ride was due to go (as is usually the case) or that cyclists were supposedly banned from vast tracts of the city.

If nobody had any idea where it was going how did it manage to split into several groups that each crossed a different bridge over the river and then all reassemble on the way to Stratford? When was the last time the CM, which has been meeting every month for years in London, went to Stratford? Never I suspect. And when was the last time that number of people turned out for the CM? Again never I suspect. I know you have to keep up the pretence of just a spontaneous gathering of people who tootle off for a ride but it has all the hallmarks of a deliberately planned and organised ride on Stratford attended by masses of people who had shown no previous interest in CM.

 

[ufkacbln]

Sorry, but given that a small boy on a BMW was pulled from his bike merely for being too close to the flame as a security concern, it was inevitable that a large, mass organised cycle protest in the lanes which have been widely advertised as being closed to all but Olympic traffic, would result on mass arrest, which seems to be exactly what CM wanted, so they could then complain about being "repressed".

I am all for using peaceful mass cycles as a protest - see the Love London, Go Dutch protest or the Addison Lee die in. However, MC do this on a monthly basis for reasons that, as yet, remain unclear.

Completely different, the torch incident was an automatic response to someone who has just appeared in your peripheral vision, hardly the planned response to CM.