Open Our Towpath demonstration

Open Our Towpath hosted their third demonstration against the closure of the towpath next to the Olympic site last Sunday 22nd July. About 50 people on foot and on bike met at 11am at Leyton Marsh and walked to the closure site under the Eastway bridge. Once there, there was food to be shared and a barbacue in the afternoon and some music too.

placard

the demo and the closure

The Lea towpath from Homerton to Bow has been closed from the 3rd of July (that's 23 days before the Opening Ceremony) until the 10th of September as a so-called “security” measure for the Olympics. This is a heavily-used green lane through East London and there can be no rational reason for it to be closed this far ahead of the games, or even during them.

LOCOG and the police claim, despite 6m high electric fences and cameras, that the path is closed for security reasons, forcing cyclists onto busy roads.

Two police officers and about half a dozen members of the press also attended the family-friendly demonstration, which eventually turned into a friendly picnic with a barbecue and music.

Simon Cole gave a guided walking tour of the area with an introduction to the history of the marshes.

Next week the demonstration will be repeated, and an extra feature will be a group ride through the alternative route, which happens to be a route into the Olympic site. The route includes Bow roundabout, and other dangerous spots.

More pictures and text on Network23