Hundreds of political activists are set to strip down and ride naked through London tomorrow to protest against fossil fuels.
The cyclists are due to ride in from six areas of London to a central meeting point at Hyde Park corner in the afternoon. They will join in protest against car-centric culture and oil dependence while demanding action on climate change, reports London’s Evening Standard.
Some riders are more pleasant to look at than others…
The organisers have requested the participants not strip off until the ride begins, to reduce potential friction… with the authorities.
Being naked in public isn’t illegal in the UK, but specific laws exist to prevent individuals attempting to undermine public morals. Despite that, anyone hoping to use the event as an excuse to let it all hang out at the weekend may be disappointed, as the organisers gently remind participants they will be expected to get dressed again at the end of the ride.
The apparent acceptance of a mass naked protest by the police stands in strong contrast to another British eccentric who famously enjoys travelling sans vestis, the naked rambler. Constantly in and out of jail, his barrister took the unusual step of defending him in a national newspaper this week to protest the government’s heavy handed persecution of the former Royal Marine commando turned naturist, as others get away with doing the exact same things.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph Matthew Scott complained the incarceration of Stephen Gough had cost the British taxpayer at least £330,000 so far, excluding legal, police, and court time, and that he had received the equivalent of an 18 year sentence for walking the country naked. Scott claims this is a sentence equivalent to what would be handed down by a judge for raping an eight year-old girl.