Police Kettling Cyclists outside Olympic Opening

Oh… and yossarian… if you want bombast, never mind the police, have you read that CM blog?

Some fine comparisons with CM’s ‘struggle’

The Suffragettes? the Jarrow Marchers? CND? John Carlos and Tommie Smith and the Civil Rights Movement?

Yes … you’re in exactly that league. Now … about this police ‘bombast’ 🙄

lets pick this apart shall we?

and the same to you

people have a right to protest when you, the police say they can – if you say they can’t because whitehall have told you to oppose it then they actually are being denied the right to protest aren’t they?

they are being restricted to where they can protest not whether they can protest [ it was not a protest remember it was celebration] so it is not the same thing nor even close.

they could protest anywhere in the UK bar the one place they chose to….what did they think would happen and why is this the polices fault?

all marches and protests invlove roads and areas being closed off which naturally ‘stops other people from exercising their own rights to go about their business’. This is a totally mute point and is only made because it sounds reasonable but actually is crap.

It was not a prtoest CM go to great lengths to be able to pin dance this point…why not object to that eh?

would two hundred cyclists really prevent ‘athletes who have trained for years for their chance in a lifetime to compete, millions of ticketholders from seeing the world’s greatest sporting event, and everyone else in London who wants to get around’ from doing pretty much whatever they wanted to do? Would it cause more problems that a tube station beiing closed or an RTA? No it wouldn’t and no it didn’t.

No they would have no impact at all and they were not trying to have an impact on this at all there were just out celebrating with friends…they are so crap at direct action that when they engage it in it is has no affect on anyone…when will they learn to do it properly?

I think the point is that they have the right to protest what they dont have the right to do is to stop anyone else from exercising their right s to participate in their celebration ..do you disagree or is it only your rights you GAS about?

Bombastic bullshit peddled by the police, to see it as any other than that is naive.

Yeah if you dont have a student revolutionary voew of the police you are indeed naive 🙄
FFS you think you live in some sort of police state may i suggest you travel to a country that is like that to refelct in this? I really do hope you grow out to f the Babylon man type stance you keep going on about ….if someone challenges this you think we are just sheep dont you…its a great closed system that allows you to ignore any view that differs from your own
There is no doubt that on occasions the balance between the right to protest has been curtailed or been restricted but doe snot mean it has this time.

they could have done it anywhere but one place and they went to that one place and then they blame da babylon for stopping them from their right to protest EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT A PROTEST

at least by being planned and legal, the Police can put in place measures and diversions to minimise disruption.

This is the key, in my mind at least.
If you work with the police, you minimise disruption. If you work against the police, you are deliberately causing disruption.
Which of these is the nicest thing to do?

Yes, there are arguments about morality and the legal system and how the world is broken, the police are corrupt, cars are evil and capitalism isn’t working etc. Many people will disagree with whatever views you have on this. Because of all the potential disagreements over finer moral points, opinion will be divided – some will agree, some will disagree. This is not the best course of action if you want support. You are literally breaking your support into tiny pieces. This results in fewer people listening to, or agreeing with you.

If Critical Mass want support, they need to stick to being a bunch of people riding bikes. Inclusive, lowest common denominator stuff. Be like the peaceful protesters sitting in a university courtyard. Many many people had sympathy for them when they got pepper sprayed because they had done nothing to provoke it.

If you fully support provoking the police, you have to question if you really want mass support, or whether you just like provoking the police.

oh dear chaps, of course its bollcks. you all keep going on about whether or not its a protest, well the police clearly call it that hence the press release. What do the courts say about it? Is it or isn’t it?

Yeah if you dont have a student revolutionary voew of the police you are indeed naive

my view of the police is neither student nor revolutionary. in many ways they do an excellent and thankless task. they only ever really come a cropper when they get lent on by whitehall which is happening more and more. If anyone truly believes that the police are not politicised and exist purely to protect the public then they are living in a fantasy world and have been for decades.

Are you seriously suggesting that temporarily preventing all and sundry (because, as I said, it wouldn’t have stopped with CM) protesting in an area where the police will have their hands full like on very few occassions in their history, is infringing peoples civil rights?

Get a grip!

I can imagine what response I’d get from Greater Manchester Constabulary if I asked to hold a large protest in Manchester City Centre at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, on a match day when City and Man Yoo were both playing at home. I’m sure they’d politely but firmly decline, and suggest I may be better doing it elsewhere, or at a differnt time, as they may be a tad busy

Which is whats happened here, despite the cloud-cuckoo-land, paranoid delusional, tin-foil-hatted conspiracy theorists think about their civil rigths being trampled on

They need to get a sense of perspective

Which is whats happened here, despite the cloud-cuckoo-land, paranoid delusional, tin-foil-hatted conspiracy theorists think about their civil rigths being trampled on

They need to get a sense of perspective
While I agree with your point, this just makes you sound like an old man. You’ll be argued with out of youthful principle 😉

this just makes you sound like an old man

There’s a very good reason for that scuzz 😉

If anyone truly believes that the police are not politicised and exist purely to protect the public then they are living in a fantasy world and have been for decades.

In what sense do you mean politicised that they exist purely to control the citizens for the benefit of the state like say Syria or china?
Your view is to extreme ..part of what you say are true but they are not agents of state control as you appear to suggest

Do you mean that legally elected politicians set laws and the Police enforce them? In the later sense you may as well argues that teachers are politicised and teach only what the state says as they set the standards,,doctors and nurses only provide health care the state approves off etc

It is an extreme argument you are putting forward [ it can occur when there is debate say the Police v Miners]

200 smelly asshat hipsters sporting goatees, who aren’t REAL ™ cyclists on a single junction aren’t really going to require the full commitment of G4S, the SAS and the police are they? Its not going to close the olympics and it won’t result in swarming muslamic baby robins dive bombing buck house either. In fact the ONLY reason its made the news is because the police, with no doubt strict orders from whitehall to come down ‘ard on troublemakers did precisely that but as usual with the police when its someone elses agenda that hasn’t necessarily gone through due process or requires anything other than core officers the police on the ground overdid things.

with no doubt strict orders from whitehall to come down ‘ard on troublemakers

Don’t be silly, no one actually talks to each other 😉

swarming muslamic baby robins dive bombing buck house

http://www.binnerstshirts.com

While it is true that some protests can cause disruption, the point about the CM protest celebration is that it is designed to create disruption. That is why people reckon it does cycling a disservice.

The police didn’t want to stop the CM ride because it was a CM ride, but because it was in an area with a mass of foreign and British dignitaries, athletes and general representatives from most of the worlds nations.

There was a massive security operation in place to make sure that everyone was kept safe, the CM ride was a sideshow and a distraction to that. The ride could have gone ahead in many places within London, with many peoples blessing.

So with all the vociferousness against helmet wearing dished out by some elsewhere on here what they do if helmets were made compulsory?
Direct action,mass non helmet wearing rides,etc etcAnd if they were then kettled and locked up that would be fine I presume.You want trouble then you’ll get trouble as already espoused on here.Just think they would be doing a disservice to all us helmet wearers and dragging the rep.of cyclists everwhere down….

While it is true that some protests can cause disruption, the point about the CM protest celebration is that it is designed to create disruption. That is why people reckon it does cycling a disservice

there really is no call for brief and insightful comments on here …like that would make a good T – Shirt

Can you Binnerise it for us?

Can you Binnerise it for us?

To Chichester, and Beyond!!

😆

I see groundhog day is alive and well

Well… it is now

While I agree with your point, this just makes you sound like an old man a person who can think.

yossarian: “Lalalalala I’m not listening lalalalalala…” 🙄

Mike the CM spokesperson’s gone a bit quiet, hasn’t he?

Maybe he got fed up with all the hilarious comments and pictures. Or maybe he has a job that doesn’t let him sit in front of a computer all day and he has better things to do with his evenings.

Flattered to be considered a ‘spokesperson’ even though I’m not, I’m simply expressing my own opinions. And it became apparent that I was needlessly arguing with people who are ignorant of certain facts, and who seem to permanently inhabit this forum, arguing constantly about everything, it seems. Having spent far too much of my day off last week posting on here, I find it staggering that some people have the time to spend so many hours on here, day in day out. Do you not have jobs? Can you not get out for a bike ride or do something more productive with your lives?

Good to see a few more open-minded people joining the discussion, including the person with a first-hand account of the events of that evening. Hopefully now we may see a little more objectivity on here, although I won’t hold my breath.

I find it sad that what could have been an interesting and helpful debate simply became an excuse for some to vent their obvious frustrations and anger towards something they have little or no understanding of.

I accept that CM needs to have a more positive public image, and could do more to promote cycling in London. For this reason, I and I hope many others will be attending the next event. And I hope some people on here might be motivated enough to do the same. I am sure there will be others who will just say sat at their keyboards ranting at a world they don’t understand, and not making any difference at all.

Open-minded = people who agree with me 😉

mikeconnor at the next CM ride

I find it sad that what could have been an interesting and helpful debate simply became an excuse for some to vent their obvious frustrations and anger towards something they have little or no understanding of.

You’re new here, aren’t you? 😆

(Taking a break from packing boxes and watching th’Lympics on my day off….)

Good to see a few more open-minded people joining the discussion

They would be the ones that agree with you right ??

🙄

.

(beaten to it by BinnersTeeshirts.com)

it became apparent that I was needlessly arguing with people who are ignorant of certain facts

Yes but, any attempts on our part to extract from you these ‘certain facts’ of which we’re seemingly all ignorant proved fruitless. Sitting there fervently typing “you don’t understand!” doesn’t help us understand any better, you know.

From what you’ve written on this thread it appears to me that you’re more interested in playing the martyr card than helping to dispel any myths and misunderstandings. And from what everyone else has written, it’d seem that CM’s collective outlook isn’t wholly dissimilar.

So, useful thread. I’ve learned quite a bit about a group I’d previously not come across. In your closing comment ^^ you said you wanted to make a difference; in this respect, rest assured, you already have.

Yes but, any attempts on our part to extract from you these ‘certain facts’ of which we’re seemingly all ignorant proved fruitless. Sitting there fervently typing “you don’t understand!” doesn’t help us understand any better, you know.

I have countered claims about the ‘type’ of person on CM rides, explained about how many of them are actively involved in campaigning for better provision for cyclists, and suggested people actually go along and find out for themselves. Others have posted their own experiences (good and bad). What more can we do to help you ‘understand’?

So, useful thread. I’ve learned quite a bit about a group I’d previously not come across.

Without ever actually having been on a London CM ride. Maybe thet’s what you need to do then. Go along, find out for yourself rather than simply reading about it online.

Some of the comments on here remind me of teenage times, when certain individuals were experts on sex. not because they’d actually done it, but because they’d read about it and seen pictures in magazines.

* Other cities (outside the M25) are available

Is the comparison between CM rides and teenage sex that they both started off with utopian visions of a wonderful life-affirming experience, but disappointingly ended up involving being roughly manhandled by men with large truncheons under an East London underpass?

No, the comparison was with the way you and some others seem to think. You appear to have missed the point somewhat. Unsurprisingly given the nature of some of your previous posts.

Are you what they call a ‘Big Hitter’ on here? You do seem to spend an amazing amount of time posting.

Missing the point = not agreeing with me

How can I agree with someone who is ignorant of certain facts about an issue? That would be like leaving a child to wet itself just because it says it doesn’t need a wee, when in fact it does.

Go along, find out for yourself rather than simply reading about it online

Would rather not be arrested for going on a bike ride, so will have to politely decline the invitation.

Instead, I shall go on a bike ride.

Being ignorant of certain facts = not agreeing with me

What more can we do to help you ‘understand’?

You could perhaps answer some of the questions I asked? Radical, I know.

The answers are already on this thread. you could perhaps try reading all the posts? Radical, I know.

Just for the record, I never actually agreed with him. My beef was with the “those kind of people” comments.

Before I got into this thread I thought CM were all ****. Then I realised that I had never talked to anyone who had been on a CM ride and I thought “Why do I have such strong feelings about people I have never met. That’s not like me.”

Then I realised I had gotten caught up in the whole groupthink mindset and was basing my opinions on what others thought despite the fact no one had had any direct experience.

So, I’m reserving judgement until I’ve been on a ride. I suspect I’m going to end up thinking they’re all **** but at least afterwards I’ll be able to say so with authority.

….to the power of sick?

Junkyard, good point well made…. However……

That’s going to very small print if I’m going to fit all that on a Teeshirt 😉