Calls to ban naked bike riding in Britain after nude cyclist is attacked by vigilante binman at ‘charity’ event – as campaigners warn it WILL happen again

Campaigners are calling for naked cycling to be banned in England after a naked cyclist was attacked by a vigilante.

Robert Brown was attending the World Naked Bike Tour event in Colchester, Essex, on August 9, when Lee Turnage, 46, came up behind him on a motorbike and knocked him to the ground.

Footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service showed Mr Brown, wearing only a helmet, cycling down a residential street before Turnage leveled himself with him and threw a punch that sent him crashing to the pavement.

Unbeknownst to Turnage, the riders were participating in a World Naked Bike Tour event.

His lawyer told Ipswich Crown Court that he ‘reacted very badly (to use the vernacular) to what he thought were perverts riding naked bikes in a residential area’.

Turnage was last week sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. For assaulting Mr Brown and assaulting two police officers who arrived at a pub to arrest him.

Cyclists say they take part in the annual bike ride to protest car culture, demand safer cycling conditions and highlight environmental concerns such as oil addiction and climate change. They also advocate for a more body-positive world.

Organizers say this does not breach the Sexual Offenses Act 2003, which states that public nudity is not an offense unless it is done with the intent to cause alarm, harassment or distress.

Councillord caught on camera punching Mr Brown during naked charity drive

But the incident renewed calls from critics for the World Naked Bike Tour event to be canceled due to safety concerns.

Emma-Jane Taylor, who started the campaign against the naked bike ride, told the Mail she feared more incidents like this would happen if the event was allowed to go ahead.

Ms Taylor, who founded the Not My Shame social media movement, said: ‘I do not condone violence but I believe there will be more of these incidents. The public is being attacked as these events are approved by municipalities and the police.

‘My local MP has written to the city police, the Met Police and Sadiq Khan to comment on these events on my behalf. None of the responses I received were adequate and did not reflect the reality that these incidents pose risks to the protection of children.

‘I feel like the political world is ignoring these conversations, when in fact it’s extremely important that these conversations are happening!

‘I’ve been contacted by nudists who don’t support the Naked Bike Race because they don’t believe it represents the beauty of being naked in the right space – and it’s certainly not the items being rocked on the streets!’

Ms Taylor started a petition to stop the nude ride, saying: ‘This has spread easily and slowly through society without anyone really knowing about it, but now it needs to spread quickly.’

The incident at Colchester was also discussed on Nick Ferrari’s LBC program this morning.

Listener Lloyd, from Hackney, east London, said he takes part in a naked cycling tour every year.

Lee Turnage, 46, walked free from court last week after attacking the man and two police officers who came to arrest him on his motorbike.

Emma-Jane Taylor (pictured), who started the campaign against the naked bike ride, told the Mail she feared more incidents like this would happen if the event was allowed to go ahead.

Discussing the event he said: ‘I’m not sure why this was created, it started long before I started naked cycling. I saw this once in London and my friend was there too, I waved to him.

‘I am already a naturalist. It feels so natural, there is nothing more natural than being naked. You were born naked. Society has framed all of this as ‘disgusting, disgusting’. Kids don’t think it’s disgusting, they walk around naked.

‘As soon as society puts these pressures or morals on you.’

Meanwhile Jennifer, from Kensington, west London, said: ‘I’m not a naked cyclist but I went on my first well-organised naked bike ride. I learned this at Time Out. It was a beautiful, warm day and we were supposed to meet in Hyde Park at 11am.

‘When I got to Hyde Park, half of her was already naked and the other half was wearing her clothes.

‘The reason they went on this first naked bike tour was to do with pollution. I don’t remember the details, but it had something to do with pollution. ‘We had a police escort on bicycles along the way.’

A third listener, Malcom, from York, said he took part in the nude outing because it was a ‘protest’.

‘If you see me naked, why don’t you see me with my clothes on? “Be careful of cyclists while driving,” he said.

Reform MP Lee Anderson told the Daily Mail that police cannot ignore ‘bike flashers’.

‘Nothing surprises me in this country anymore. Our streets are already full of crime, illegal immigrants, anti-social behavior and now we have bike flashers. “Our streets have turned into a freak show,” he said.

The charity cyclist who was attacked said in a victim impact statement: ‘This was a charity bike ride; This has never happened to me while participating in the numerous rides I have completed.

‘I have difficulty sleeping because of the pain in my leg; There is no relief and it won’t go away.

‘The injuries I sustained affected me a lot, especially in terms of my mobility.

‘Because of the pain I have more confidence in a club and put more weight on it.

‘My leg remains swollen to this day, which means I have to keep it as high as possible. Some days it feels like the pain will never end.

‘The friends I see spend time looking at me; ‘They are now more like caregivers than friends.’