I thought it was one of our best events to date and believe a really powerful, moving and effective message was sent to TfL, Southwark and London - no more killing!
Today’s event involved a huge array of people voluntarily helping in one way or another - remember today’s event was purely grassroots organised with no money and no organisation - so I think what you all managed to create was awesome and I am know that Steve joins me in saying a huge thank you.
Just look at this picture!!! It summarises so well what is needed in a moving, graphic and dignified direct-action protest.
One quick piece of feedback - Will and Luke urged me to take on Simon Hughes MP, the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties, who showed up at the event and was speaking to Live TV.
Loathe to allow him to give a government spin on what was happening, I interrupted his interview gently and challenged him live on air about his and his party and his administration’s record, which in my view is just as bad as Val Shawcross’s Labour GLA and Southwark Council.
As a result he invited us to come into his offce next week to go over our entire list of demands at national and local level.
Yes We Can!
(UPDATE: more thank yous after the video - scroll down)
Before we move on from this week’s Direct Action at the Elephant, it’s important to thank the many many people who helped make it the great and important success that it was.
Fred Smith - who set up FB event and organised the chalk and so much else. Andrew D Smith - for printing and handng out the flyers. Abby Taubin - for flyering and reading out the Heaney poem. Will Nickell - for bringing a cycle trailer of stuff across London and ensuring victims had a voice at the event.
Paul Brocklehurst for sorting out emergency tape and chair!
Krisztian Hajdu for banner and roundels Graham Neale and Luisa Pretolani for sorting out overhead camera crew Chris Lemin - for bringing PA and Mike Andrew Reeves-Hall - for doing great stuff on website
Steve for doing the flyer graphics Nic Fripp - for loan of cycle trailer Luke Holland for helping me organise lane drawing
Rhiannon Redpath for asking 38 degrees to FB event
Jenny Jones and Natalie Bennett for tweeting the event
ITV, London Live, Evening Standard, South London Press, Road CC, Southwark News etc for letting their audiences know about protest beforehand. Tom Kearney for his moral support David Fonseca for the posters Karl Roche for useful profile graphic
To all who tweeted and emailed and Facebooked the event including the enthusiastic Mad Munk
The mums and dads who brought their kids
To all who wrote powerful messages on the drawn in cycle lane
To the many talented photographers who ensured our visual message was recorded and seen by many.
To the Met police who helped the public get past the protest and who allowed us chalk the cycle lane without hassle
And most importantly to the women, men and kids who turned up and lay down in Direct Action protest including people who cycle, walk and drive.
Yes You Did - And Yes We Can!
We are hugely grateful for what all you guys did - this event and all Stop Killing Cyclists activities are organised with no funding and no professional staff - so it is you guys who make the miracles possible.
