Critical Mass ride passes peacefully

This morning’s Critical Mass ride caused localised traffic chaos in central London but the first of the May Day anti-capitalist protests was peaceful and good-humoured.

Blowing whistles and blaring horns, hundreds of cyclists blocked morning rush-hour traffic as they made their way slowly through the streets and stopped briefly outside the United States embassy to stage a noisy protest.

One bearded protester, Harry Willans, told PA News: "I’m cycling on behalf of my cat.

I am anti-vivisection, pro-cannabis and worried about the conservation of cyclists."

However, from the pictures on the TV news it appeared that many, if not most, of the cyclists were ‘normal’ and that the mainstream media, as usual, chose to interview the more colourful of the protesters…