Conflicts Involving Critical Mass - London, Great Britain

London, Great Britain

In September 2005, a few weeks after 7 July 2005 bombings, Metropolitan Police required the organisers to provide a route six days before the event. In addition, they placed strict restrictions on riders under threat of arrest. The threat was retracted when politicians and cyclist groups objected. The following ride, October 2005, had close to 1200 participants, significantly more than usual. A long stop in Parliament Square, part of the Government's exclusion area in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 led to a slow and cumbersome ride.

One participant sought a declaration from the High Court of England and Wales that police need not be notified about the rides, in a "friendly action" in which neither side sought damages. The ruling agreed, exempting Critical Mass from notification under Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986. The ruling was reversed on appeal. In 2008 Friends of the Earth, who supported the legal action, said the case would be appealed to England's highest legal authority, the House of Lords, on the grounds that, after 11 years, Critical Mass is "commonly or customarily held". In October 2008 the House of Lords ruled in favour of the Critical Mass participant.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, cyclists were arrested on opening day after police claim they ignored regulations in place during the Olympics. Jenny Jones of the Green Party and the Greater London Assembly has questioned the police actions calling them "out of all proportion to common sense" and "tragically unnecessary". A Critical Mass website asked riders to be "peacefully assertive" during the monthly ride, while police claim they asked riders to keep to the south of the River Thames. When the riders got close to the Olympic park, police began to cordon off and arrest riders. In total, 182 were arrested, out of whom 4 were charged, and 178 bailed pending further enquiries. The action led to 5 of the 182 people arrested being convicted in court.