Naked cyclist ‘attacked by men on e-scooter’ during charity ride

A naked cyclist was left with a bruise after two men on e-scooters kicked him in the middle of a charity bike ride.

The man, who wished to be identified as Mo, was left with red bruises after the alleged incident on June 20 in Chelmsford, Essex.

Video footage shows the naturist and other nude bikers cycling through Duke Street when two unidentified men drive past them at around 4pm.

The men appear to turn back and kick Mo in the thigh, according to footage seemingly taken by another charity rider.

Mo said: ‘His foot hit the lower part of my thigh first, then slid all the way up to my stomach.

‘Fortunately, because the impact was distributed across this wide area, the force was absorbed, preventing a severe injury.

‘The attack left some red bruises on both the lower and upper parts of my thigh.

Mo narrowly avoided being hit by a bus during the attack, the video showed.

‘I will not let violence like this stop me from participating in the protest,’ he added.

Mo was taking part in the Chelmsford World Naked Bike Ride, a protest against the ‘destructive elements of our car culture’, its website says. 

The police said an investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Another nude cyclist taking part in a charity bike ride organized by the same environmental group was attacked in August last year.

Rob Brown, 59, was cycling through Colchester, Essex, during a Four Seasons World Naked Bike Ride event when he was punched.

He struck the pavement after being punched by motorcyclist Lee Turnage, 46.

Turnage was handed a suspended prison sentence for causing actual bodily harm.

What does being a ‘naturalist’ mean?

Naturism, also called nudism, is a movement that believes that stripping clothing off – non-sexually – helps people reconnect with nature.

Bearing it all isn’t always done in public, with British Naturism encouraging people to be naked in their gardens to ‘air’ out their bodies.

‘Naturism is healthy, sensible – who wants to wear clothes when the weather is hot – and great fun!’ the group’s website says.

Some 6.7million people belong to this clothing-optional way of life, according to a 2022 survey commissioned by British Naturism.

The College of Policing say naturists have a right to freedom of expression.

Public nudity, a briefing note says, is only a crime if a naturalist commits a sexual offense or engages in behavior likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

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