Naked cycling campaigners hire security to protect against furious public
Naked cyclist campaigners have hired security – not to cover their modesty, but to protect them against the growing risk of hostility from the public.
The protest group says they fear the future of the event is in jeopardy due to the growing risk of hostility from members of the public who are less tolerant of public nudity.
To try and combat the rise in attacks on nude cyclists, the organisers of the London naked ride have brought in security to help police the events.
The event’s date has also changed to a Sunday, when the capital city is quieter.
An event representative told the Times that leading more than 1,000 cyclists through the capital on a Saturday in June has become ‘increasingly troublesome.’
The organisers’ highest cost is the increase in professional security personnel for such events.
Security personnel have been hired to improve safety and behaviour for the riders and spectators by patrolling different points of the route.
These increased security measures come after Robert Brown, 59, was punched off his bike after being mistaken for a ‘pervert’ during the World Naked Bike Ride in Colchester, Essex.
A 46-year-old part-time binman, Lee Turnage, drove up behind him and sent him tumbling down onto the pavement with one punch.
Turnage was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years in November.
There are strict rules in place for participants of the nude bike rides, including that riders must remain seated at all times and be clothed before and immediately after the ride.
Those renting a bike must also use a saddle cover, which are sold by the organisers.
The annual rides protest against car culture, demand safer cycling conditions, and highlight environmental concerns like oil dependence and climate change.
Through the purposeful nudity, they also advocate for a ‘more body positive world.’
There has been much debate about whether the nakedness is a breach of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The act states public nudity is not an offence as long as it is not done with the intent to cause alarm, harassment, or distress.
Do you think the nude charity bike rides should be banned?
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Yes
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No
Organisers say it does not breach the law, while some women’s safety groups and campaigners for child protection say there are other ways to raise money for charity that do not involve being nude.
Emma Jane-Taylor, a child abuse campaigner, said: ‘Allowing the naked bike ride simply allows perverts to be seen and normalises an already difficult conversation.’
She has since petitioned for the London Naked Bike Ride to be banned as a public event.
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