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Nude ride prompts naked assault on Canada police

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-24 10:56

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Naked cyclists converged on Vancouver's main police station Saturday to protest the arrest of a fellow cyclist who had taken his 3-year-old son on a nude ride earlier in the day.

Naked Bike Ride spokesman Conrad Schmidt said it all began when six squad cars and a paddy wagon showed up as the group of about 75 naked cyclists arrived along the city's English Bay.

Vancouver Police Constable Jana McGuinness told The Canadian Press that several bystanders had called police, concerned about the child's well-being. Police arrived and spoke with the man, who agreed that both he and his child would wear underwear during the ride.

But as he left to join the other riders, the man stripped his and his son's clothes off. Officers arrested him on the spot, citing public nudity laws.

Schmidt said the boy was in tears as police took him and his father away, and the arrest prompted the group to cycle through downtown Vancouver to the police station.

McGuinness said it appeared the man afterward regretted his actions.

"When they were leaving (the scene) it was under the understanding that perhaps he hadn't shown the best judgment; there were a number of people that took offense to the child being naked in the group and subjected to people's scrutiny," she said.

"It sounds like it's been a good lesson all around."