Police Kettling Cyclists outside Olympic Opening

What drac said.

Nice the guy stepped into to help the female copper so they were not all bad

re second one why on earth does it say disabled man assaulted by copper as the title

he attacks the copper from behind and drops him on a car bonnet.
What did he think would be the affect or consequences of this.
Plod were remarkably restrained considering

Yeah watched a bit more and very good of the 2 members public to step in and very nice of CM to abuse these people too. I don’t think CM has come out well from this at all.

So what do we do instead?
“ride on the f….in pavement”
“pay your f….in road tax”
“get off the f….in road”
Or just give up and chuck ourselves under the nearest 40t truck?
Whats the odds that the 180+ people arrested end up with a harsher puniahment than you’d get for mowing down a cyclist?
And I don’t think cm is great, but what else?

I wonder what if someone swing a random motorbike helmet at the police knocking him out cold … hhhhhmmm … that would be funny. Then the police call for backup then we have massive riot … LOL! I suppose if say the police put your life in danger then you have the rights to protect yourself. I would. Oh ya … it looks like that particular police has a low IQ to confront the masses alone …

Whats the odds that the 180+ people arrested end up with a harsher puniahment than you’d get for mowing down a cyclist?

I didn’t think anyone had been sentenced yet.

“pay your f….in road tax”

tell them theres no such thing and to get a life?

And I don’t think cm is great, but what else?

CTC
Speaking to MP’s
Positive action rather than direct confrontation- educational campaigns – including never go up the inside of a truck.
Better street segregation
etc

I really fail to see , though I agree broadly with the aims[ and indeed protest and direct action], how pissing of motorists and getting arrested will help people respect us a cyclists or improve our lot.

Group of asshats assault lone policeman

Would make a rather different thread title, don’t you think?

How nice of the”legal” and “peaceful” “protstors” to all put down their phone, stop filming and help break up that potentially very unpleasant situation. Oh, hold on……

When someone can show any way that CM help promote cycling then they’ll be a ‘movement with some worth. Until that time, I won’t be joining in. I’ll just keep on riding my bike as transport every day, just keep on encouraging others to do so, just keep on riding within the law, etc, etc, etc.

Drac, they’ve been bailed.
when people can run down cyclists and get off with a 6 month ban and a few hundred quid fine, whats the odds that this lot get a harsher punishment.
The “disabled” bloke is, rightfully so, screwed.
Dabble, last time I had that conversation, bloke ran me off the road 🙄

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Group of asshats assault lone policeman

Would make a rather different thread title, don’t you think?

It should read … lone policeman with low IQ enter “lions'” den to enforce his power/rules/will.

Didn’t see that sort of action during the riot few months ago …

How nice of the”legal” and “peaceful” “protstors” to all put down their phone, stop filming and help break up that potentially very unpleasant situation. Oh, hold on……

It’s iPhone innit. Got to be used.

When someone can show any way that CM help promote cycling then they’ll be a ‘movement with some worth. Until that time, I won’t be joining in. I’ll just keep on riding my bike as transport every day, just keep on encouraging others to do so, just keep on riding within the law, etc, etc, etc.

I will be in 4×4 enforce by bull’s bar mowing down other drivers that come too close to me. 😆

Drac, they’ve been bailed.

So not sentenced yet.

when people can run down cyclists and get off with a 6 month ban and a few hundred quid fine, whats the odds that this lot get a harsher punishment.

That’s not the argument here.

group of asshats with low IQs assault man who was just doing his job

See?

Nope, they have had bikes confiscated though.

+1 on junkyards list,

Propose/encourage/arrange/ride legal mass participation events – see if your local council can be persuaded to encourage cycling and invest in local facilities or things like adult cycling proficiency to improve participation and hence the cycling lobby

Hold politicians (local and national) to account

Help your local planning office – writing in, responding to public consultations, (legally) protesting poor decisions

Report bad/dangerous driving (to the police not the forum!) and then hold the police to account – follow up, pursue, FOIA etc, community policing priorities can be shaped by enough people complaining

All of the above can be dull/time consuming but little wins stack up.

so some dicks kicked off at a peaceful protest, that sucks. hope all the CM haters are enjoying their moment of smug self satisfaction, but lets face it most of you had your minds made up before you knew any of the details.

Another case of cyclists hating other cyclists, good show chaps.

(edit) iirc CM was intentionally kept none organisational with no register or hierarchy so they wouldn’t get shut down. pretty sure some citys tried to come down pretty hard on any CM shenanigans even if 100% peaceful.

I don’t hate cyclists, I dislike people assaulting others and that’s what I seen on that video. Sadly as you’ve just demonstrated there are those that just see these people as cyclists. That’s the point, a few have spoilt it for CM and cyclists.

I don’t hate cyclists, I dislike people assaulting others and that’s what I seen on that video. Sadly as you’ve just demonstrated there are those that just see these people as cyclists. That’s the point, a few have spoilt it for CM and cyclists.

^^This^^

Well they were all on bikes at a cycle rally so I would imagine they are actually cyclists….we cannot all be well educated, middle class and middle aged.

Another case of cyclists hating other cyclists, good show chaps

Depends what they are doing. I like their aims but think their methods are counter productive and unlikely to produce any benefit for cyclists.
I rather fear they make things worse for us tbh as peole see us a s law breakers ..just like RLJ

I agree they should use it as an opportunity to track stand but we are not all that awesome

D0NK – Member
so some dicks kicked off at a peaceful protest, that sucks. hope all the CM haters are enjoying their moment of smug self satisfaction, but lets face it most of you had your minds made up before you knew any of the details. Another case of cyclists hating other cyclists, good show chaps.

So Donk, who exactly is demonstrating a mind-made-up attitude here? I agree with Drac and others and feel that you “appear” more guilty-as-charged than the rest of us. “CM-haters”, wow, where does that come from?

FWIW, I read this thread and opened the video links with an open mind. Not sure if anyone comes out with much credit but certain CM members (?) have done little to win my support, for sure. The absurdity of the “disabled” man’s behaviour is pretty obvious and disappointing that the crowd chose to either inflame or film what was happening rather than try to calm things down. Have no idea what lead to the attempted arrest in the first place.

In contrast, other cyclists chose yesterday to show their peaceful support for cycling by lining the route of the road race, behaving themselves and interacting sensibly and politely with police, marshals and motorists.

Which body of people did more to contribute to a better world for cyclists in future?

[edit for X-post with JY: education, class and age should not determine behaviour. Each is irrelevant to this debate IMO]

“We can’t all be well educated, middle class and middle aged”
What a ridiculous thing to say. Probably one of the most stupid things I’ve ever read on here. Well almost 😉

Christ all mighty on a bike does every post need an emoticon on here 🙄
Could it have been a sarccy comment 😯
I am only two out of the three, one of this is debatable but sadly I am certainly middle aged 😉
Clear 😕

THM [ a brief semi serious point] you may wish to study the statistics on crime broken down by age, education and “class” or the demographics of prison population…naturally I blame Thatcher and the inequality of wealth and opportunity.

one of this is debatable

Debate closed. 🙂

Blasphemy as well JY – you’re on a roll!! 😉 (adds emotcion to avoid ambiguity here! 😉 )

Edit for X-post. Go on JY, I am too lazy tonight, give me the answer not sure that is will “really” correct the previous error 😉 ! But opened-minded 😉 so happy to see!!

Second edit for the edit ! I am glad that you have identified the cause and without the emotcion!!

@ CPT bugger , it is just middle aged then 😳

oh and damned apparently

Just caught the vid. but without the sound. White folk with dreads 😳 I know it’s a stereotype but this is STW land so there you go.
Police were very restrained but that may be because they were so outnumbered.Where was the police backup….all busy doing G4S job no doubt.Good job it wasn’t a group of rioters or terrorists or it could have kicke doff big time.I imagine the scene when backup did turn up was a bit different. Looks like there were some hotheads there but plenty of folk trying to calm things down too including passers by.

Christ all mighty on a bike does every post need an emoticon on here 🙄
Could it have been a sarccy comment 😯

LOL.

Comments on the rroadcc article are pretty good, worth a read and show both sides with less arguing. Won’t give you my views (I’m sure you don’t care) but lets just say I won’t be building a tall bike anytime soon.

If CM is NOT organised, why does it appear to have a press officer who joins websites just to try and misinform people?

I’ve been cycling for 25 years and I’ve just noticed that CM could also stand for cock monkeys.

I wasn’t defending the actions of any of the CM people and some of them no doubt will be asshats and I wasn’t identifying a particular hater, however on this site there is a worrying undercurrent of, hmm how can I put it without getting all emotive or melodramatic? No sorry intolerance will have to do. Any cyclist who is a little different is open for scorn or downright abuse. Someone got run over “he must have been riding wrong”. Some cyclist recieved a kicking “well what did he do to deserve it?” and of course someone who rides a different bike/route/direction to you is worryingly wrong and open for scorn or abuse. Might be down to many STWers being motorists with a sideline in cycling, who knows.

and of course protesters are all scum 🙂

I’m not a CMer or protester just a cyclist worried that plenty of other cyclists on here seem to be a little too quick to damn other cyclists.

Can’t we atleast try to show a little bit of solidarity

(and I’m not suggesting sticking up for the dicks who do cause trouble)

Hard to be 100% sure quite what I saw on that video but a lone individual seemed to be being attacked by more than one other, surrounded by a shouting mob.
That video doesn’t put cyclists in a good light tbh…

IME there are some people who think a policeman/woman is a legitimate target because they are ‘authority’ even if it’s just a lone copper on his/her own being surrounded by an intimidating group.
Says more about individuals’ issues with authority figures than their basic humanity…
Sadly in this video these people are on bikes, which is just bad PR for cyclists as a community.

I’m not a CMer or protester just a cyclist worried that plenty of other cyclists on here seem to be a little too quick to damn other cyclists.

AFAIK, no one here is damning cyclists. Far from it, those of us who are anti-CM are so because they* are damaging the cause of cycling. I don’t count those idiots as cyclists, they’re idiots, and I’ll very happily damn an idiot like them.

* – They as in the small number of asshats who have hijacked what could/should be a very good movement to create a positive view that cycling is good for cities. Sadly, the rest of CM has, AFAIK, never really done enough, or even anything to stop this small minority of asshats from ruining things. Seems that these days, the majority of CMers just want to film it on their smartphones, twitter about it and upload it, along with suitable degrees of faux-outrage, on their blogs. CM should be a great thing for cycling. It isn’t, though.

D0NK – Member
I’m not a CMer or protester just a cyclist worried that plenty of other cyclists on here seem to be a little too quick to damn other cyclists.

Idiots are idiots whether they ride bikes or not. I don’t see someone else on a bike and immediately assume that they are incapable of gross stupidity.

Amen druidh, Amen.

DONK I think there can be that attitude on here but I am not sure that this means we have to defend all cyclists.

Some of us are tools…if this place teaches you only one thing it is surely that

Any cyclist who is a little different is open for scorn or downright abuse.

As far as I can see from those videos – policeman arrests someone who assaults him, other people violently attack police officer and help her unlawfully escape from custody, because she’s ‘one of them’ and he represents ‘the man’.

Now, I don’t think thats abusing someone for being ‘a little different’ – Its criticising behaviour that is downright bloody unacceptable.

If that happened on a friday night in a city centre, we would rightfully expect every one of them to be locked up, and I for one hope that the video evidence is used to track them down and punish them to the extent of the law.

Thats what a lot of people seemed to have missed.
Yep, some of the people at cm are idiots.
Most will be normal people.
so when they are all referred to as asshats, hipster knobbers, etc, it does come across as anti cyclist.
Edit.
And that video only shows two minutes out four hours.
There will be other stories.

so when they are all referred to as asshats, hipster knobbers, etc, it does come across as anti cyclist.

See above.

Also, when the rest of CM do enough to get rid of that stupid, pathetic minority that ruin the potential of the message, THEN they will have achieved one small victory.

As others said earlier (Self included), other CMs, such as Southampton (admittedly years ago!) and Leicester, are celebrations of cycling. They are positive, and done to encourage and enthuse others towards the concept of cycling.

CM in London has been hijacked by a stupid, idiotic minority who do not represent cyclists. I am a London cyclist, and the idiots referred to in this post, and by others in this thread, do nothing but damage to the promotion of cycling in the capital as far as I can see.

so when they are all referred to as asshats, hipster knobbers, etc, it does come across as anti cyclist.

Unlike the anti-car abuse because a driver can’t also be a cyclist. 😕

I’ll re-state “…I’m not suggesting sticking up for the dicks who do cause trouble” they should get all the abuse they are due.

CM in London has been hijacked by a stupid idiotic minority who do not represent cyclists

a couple of people said other CMs were ok but london was full of rent-a-protester, the rest seemed to be damning all of CM.

when the rest of CM do enough to get rid of that stupid, pathetic minority

gonna be tricky, with no organisation who is going to tell the nobs to leave? Seems to be very open/inclusive. BTW my comment earlier about the intentional lack of organisation was just something I think i read a long time ago, if anyone can elaborate please do.