More than 100 cyclists arrested near Olympic Park

I've seen the CM rides in Manchester, last Friday evening of the month or something like that. It seems friendly enough but clearly has some sort of 'take back the streets' undertone to it - which I don't think helps us, really. I'm not asking motorists to give up their cars and 'all be like me, everybody!" - I'd just like them to give me enough room when they pass is all.

Watching the first part of that video it looks like the female police officer (without dayglow vest) seems to be holding back the male police officer in the dayglow vest who does appear to be rather enthusiastic in his approach.
Please don't get me wrong I agree with others on this site who have said cycling is riding a bike full stop. I think Nick T said it best just get out there and enjoy a cycle ride.

idiots, just what we need, more disruption in London.

I had thought about joining a CM ride but if the sole intention is to get in peoples way I can't see the point. I'd rather join a ride that encourages non-cyclists to have an enjoyable ride in London.

Good on the cops, as a law abiding cyclist who loves to ride my bike its people like that who give the rest of us a harder time with motorists.

You play with fire, you're going to get burnt big style.

There are ways to protest and ways not to. Also if you do end up being kettled just sit it out quietly, be polite and definitely don't be an arse; if you do you are only going to make it worse. Sorry but very little sympathy here.

I thought they were pigeons,not doves.
Oh and Critical Mass are pathetic.

I've joined Critical Mass a number of times, and when it is an unorganised, good-natured assertion of our rights to the road, it generally goes smoothly and without aggression breakling out on either side - the occasional ars*hole motorist but that's all.

It was entirely predictable that this one would develop into a protest about the Olympics due to the co-incidence of the opemning ceremnoy the same evening, and some cycling blogs urged people for that reason to stay away. The fact that "organisers" emerged, and pre-selecetd a route (the whole point being that the ride is unorganised and that the route just happens spontaneously) reinforces the point that this was not a normal CM. No-one could have been under any illusion that a police response would be heavy handed - after all, we have seenteh closure of the Lea towpath, location of missile batteries on top of peoples' homes, and a general racking up of security and restriction on movement - so anyone attending must surely have had confrontation in mind.

That is NOT what the great majority of London cyclists want, when they say they want facilities to improve and traffic to be tamed

Critical Mass is a celebration of cycling? The one I went to involved cycling to Parliament Square during rush hour, stopping en masse, snarling up traffic and causing as much trouble as possible in an apparent bid to "get one back" over evil car drivers. Sod that, I prefer to celebrate cycling by actually, you know, cycling.

Police arrested wife after domestic and she gave them lip - somehow they couldn't process in time for next morning court so she had 2 nights in cells. (Not a happy story)

Presumably equally a delay in processing some of the CM crowd.

Mass usually circulates around Central London, and getting out along Bow Road is a good 30 minute diversion for the ride. To press on after the confrontation crossing the river in London suggests an agenda to see how far those influencing the direction of the ride could push the Police before the shutters came down.

That said the cul-de-sac move was perhaps a bad one.

If you want to protest, stick to the rules made by organisers and police, simple. Police arnt going to let people run wild especially on Olyimpic opening night.