WHOA! BIG BEN!

From Yahoo News:

Naked cyclists in oil protest ride
A group of naked cyclists took part in a bike ride to protest against oil dependency and to "celebrate the human body."

Crowds gathered as about 100 people set off from Hyde Park corner, London, in the World Naked Bike Ride past some of the capital's most famous landmarks.

Most of them stripped fully naked for the 10km (6.2 miles) cycle past Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and the United States Embassy.

Some bikes were decked out with banners reading 'Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession' and 'Support the trade justice movement'.

..."It's a protest against oil dependency and car culture and the overuse of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution, it stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel. I think people should be a lot more comfortable with their bodies. There is nothing wrong with the naked body."

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 exposing oneself is against the law if a man or woman does it knowing that they might cause alarm or distress.

This is such a stupid protest.

There is no way I believe that the participants care about anything other than flopping around in the face of authority. If they were interested in making a serious statement, then they would have staged a protest that drew attention to the cause of oil dependency, not attention to their own oiliness.

Scotland Yard let the parade pass unfettered as long as the protestors followed traffic regulations and the highway code.

"Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 exposing oneself is against the law if a man or woman does it knowing that they might cause alarm or distress."

Judging by the photo, I think at least some of these people look like they are more than capable of causing "alarm or distress" by exposing themselves.

Although crowds gathered for the spectacle, no doubt some tourists in London were treated to more than they bargained for when they took in the sights today.

God save the Queen!