Crude Protest  

This is a novel form of protest against fossil fuel dependency - nude bike riding en masse.

Hundreds of naked cyclists staged demonstrations today in London and Madrid in protest against the West's dependence on gas-guzzling cars - and to push for more use of bicycles. The organisers of World Naked Bike Ride 2005 said protests were expected in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Israel.

In London, crowds gathered to watch as about 100 cyclists left Hyde Park Corner on a journey that took them past some of the capital's most famous landmarks. Most of the riders had stripped naked for the 10 kilometre ride past Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and the US Embassy. Some bikes carried 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," said Chad Neilson, 24, from north London, who was one of the organisers. "There is too much pollution. It stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel."