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Police Made a Massive Arrest on Opening Ceremony Day
Tuesday 31st July 2012 | Osh
It wasn’t all as beautiful as it would seem by the screen. At least for a group of people who decided to go to the Opening Ceremony by cycling and who got a massive setback on their way to the Olympic Stadium.
More than a hundred cyclists were arrested before the ceremony started and taken to police stations where they spent the whole night. Two of the riders, P. J. and F. M in their 30s, have declared to the site that “the police didn’t make any difference between the people who were going to the Stadium just to enjoy the ceremony and those who were protesting”.
The protest was promoted by The Critical Mass ride, which is a pro-cycling event which takes place in London every month. But according to the police, this time the cyclists ignored warnings and rode on Games Lanes ahead of the opening ceremony, but they did not respond to the kettling claim: “Cyclists continued to ride around the ORN [Olympic Route Network], despite numerous warnings and officers took action to detain the cyclists and over 130 people were arrested for breach of section 12 of the Public Order Act."
The riders also said they are not allowed to go to any Olympic venue: “We don’t know what to do. We have tickets to see some events but now we are not allowed to be even near any Olympic place. We feel helpless”.
Police believed the demonstration "had the potential to cause serious disruption" and said officers used loud hailers and leaflets to explain the restrictions.
Enrique Quilez @quikequilez
