Critical Mass went really well. Hardly any publicity and 5 people there at advertised time of 5pm. but by 5.30 there were 23 and when we left The Level at 6pm there must have been 40+... we picked up people on the way, went down to the seafront and along it, through Churchill Square and into Hove, back again along the seafront and up London Road. The cops stayed away until we got to london rd, where we were just about to finish but they got a bit panicky and started threatening everyone with arrest under Section 25 of the PACE act 1984 (give your name and adress or be arrested). One person was briefly arrested but released at his house when it prooved he had supplied his correct name and adress as demanded. Slightly sour at the end then but really exciting and beautiful lie critical mass is supposed to be nonetheless. Lots of encouragement, leaflets given out advertising a regular CM, Last Fridayof Every Month as everywhere, meet 5.30pm for 6pm, The Level, Brighton. JOIN US!
PS- The ride was a kinda farewell to those cycling as part of the g8bikeride from brighton. www.g8bikeride.org.uk, see www.g8bikeride.blogspot.com for a daily diary..
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Section 25 of PACE
17.06.2005 00:12
Section 25 gives the police a "General Power of Arrest for Non-Arrestable Offences". The point is that the police have to accuse you of an offence (under some other law) before they can use section 25 to arrest you for it. Once you've been accused of an offence, refusing to give a name & address means that the police can't prosecute you other than by arrest, and gives the police a legal power of arrest.
See
Cops will make up whatever legal-sounding crap they can to get names & address from people, so try to understand the law first and don't fall for it.
Oh, and good to hear there's a critical mass starting up in Brighton. Hope it'll be a regular occurance.
Beagle Reader