IBU

Consol

Pro EU rally & bike ride tomorrow 5th May promoting EU elections.

This Is http://www.berklix.eu/jhs/blog/2019-05-05/

Hi Brexited Brits & Cyclists etc,

A description of what you missed, snug at home in the warm yesterday ;-) inc. a few improvement ideas for future events.
-------------

( I got sweating hot, racing late to join the start of bike rally, which I missed, as I confused the Europa Platz start point, Mea Culpa);

I caught 1 of the bike groups up outside first embassy. A speaker told us something at each of the embassies, could have been interesting, but too quiet, didn't hear some, especially when traffic passed, & she fluffed her lines a few times too. A few audience chipped in info & comment.

Maybe 15 or so cyclists, several with Ordner (=Marshal or whatever) on sleeve. 1 police car & 5 or so motor bikes as escort, sufficient for a much larger group if bad weather hadn't reduced us.

First time I've cycled through numerous red lights under police escort, a marshal enjoyed that too ;-) Almost more police than us though. I cycled with my large dual flags UK+EU on erected 2 piece pole in large backpack: do-able with a counterweight which I had, but although centred at the top, it slipped sideways in base of backpack, so a board with a hole in middle would be good to centre such poles, I'll make one against future contingency.

I reduced extendable pole height for cycling to reduce the sway effect, (which wasn't too bad in slow bike convoy, but would have been dangerous in real traffic.) We cycled so slow that at times the sail flapped in front of my face. especially starting & turning. One couldn't go faster 'cos the police car at front set a slow pace for slow cyclists. A lower gear is better for faster acceleration, to force a swaying obscuring big flag backward.

At Odeonsplatz We arrived early & waited cold a long while. Locked up bike for something to do, only place is North West corner. Podium on truck under Feld Herren Halle continued to set up speakers, & test microphones. The musicians spent a long time practising, while audience was cold, nothing to do.

No info stand to pick up leaflets to read. There was a vacant portable roof, South East of square, but nothing under it, no banners, leaflets, petitions to signs, flags to buy, collection tin for expenses, no slips of paper with web refs to where an index of speakers transcripts or notes might later appear on web

No people at a table as catalyst to focus casual conversation groups that might spin off. No independent vendors selling any hot drinks or cold, or anything edible (eg no roast chestnut stands - too late in year ) A cafe on North West of square was open for take away hot drink.

A couple of passers by asked what it was about, I offered leaflets Antje had given me Sat., but one questioner already had that. An audience member next to me with a modern low slung trike explained something to questioner about some Munich council plan for a bike route. He was collecting signatures for a bike petition. I started to listen ...

Lively loud music finally started, interleaved with speeches. Enjoyed the music, Jewish or Armenian ? East European anyway, Can't remember name of band.

Some boiler plate "Socialists 'R Us" type speeches from SPD, The wind flew the large UK + EU flags well, balancing one handed gave something to do ;-) But the calls for EU to finally tax google & starbucks etc more than just a Donner Kebab Bude drew particularly wide support, left & right support that :-)

An old lady stopped by, attracted by all the EU flags, & told us other parties support EU too, & suggested SPD wasn't best for us, I told her I wasn't SPD, but was for finally taxing the American multi-nationals that exploit the EU.

Various foreigners, ie EU members spoke of their countries. No mention of any bike issues/ plans (or too cold & missed it ?)

Brexit: David H spoke, He may have got a number wrong, something about 1.[3/7] million couldn't vote?, But I wasn't concentrating as cold & know all that well, eg. Refs to 700+K in EU from Telegraph & revised 3.7 M global by Sec of State in Hansard, Refs in http://www.berklix.eu/brexit/#millions He asked Europeans to hold the door open for Britain, but nothing specific, no concrete request, eg to go sign Petition to EU for Permanent European Union Citizenship

One of last speakers spoke far too long near the end in his own East European language no one near me knew, (He was trilingual inc German & English), a short bit would have been enough.

No speaker I recall said the equivalent of

Lots of police at Odeonsplatz initially from aggregated bike rides + those originally at the focal point, far more than our small crowd needed, presumably because of cold weather. It got windier & colder & crowd, never big, gradually shrank, especially at end when we were frozen by 19:10 By then near all police had gone too.

AT least the rain held off, but wind & cold detracted from hanging around at Odeonsplatz. Hard to arrange such a complex outdoor event though, against unknown future weather. Thanks to Antje & all her helpers for organising despite bitter weather.

There's an indoor forum event about Brexit on the 17th, I will forward detail later from CC'd Antje to

Join or leave any list via: http://mailman.berklix.org/mailman/listinfo

Cheers, Julian