London mayor chases would-be attackers on bike

14 comments
By BikeRadar | Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009 10.17pm

She may have voted against London mayor Boris Johnson last year, but film-maker Franny Armstrong was glad to see the cycling politician chase away would-be attackers in Camden, north London on Monday night.

According to a report on the BBC website, the climate change activist was walking home when she was approached by a group of hoodie-wearing girls, one of whom was brandishing an iron bar.

The mayor, who was cycling past, stopped and chased the girls down the street, calling them 'oiks'. A few minutes later he returned and escorted Armstrong home.

"I was texting on my phone so didn't notice the girls until they pushed me against the car, quite hard," Armstrong told the BBC. "I noticed that one had an iron bar in her hand – it was very frightening."

Armstrong called out for help from a passing cyclist, who turned out to be Johnson. She said: "He said to the girls, 'What do you think you are doing?' He picked up the iron bar, called after the girls and cycled after them."

Although Armstrong admitted voting for Johnson's Labour Party rival Ken Livingstone in the 2008 mayoral election, she said: "If you find yourself down a dark alleyway and in trouble I think Boris would be of more use than Ken. He was my knight on a shining bicycle."

Earlier this year Armstrong launched the 10:10 campaign, which calls for a 10 percent cut in carbon emissions in 2010. She directed the documentaries McLibel, Drowned Out and Age of Stupid.

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User Comments

There are 14 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 14 of 14 comments

  • I guess it shows that even people we might not agree with can be decent human beings nonetheless. Too often, "the opposition" is demonised. Good on BoJo. Still won't vote for him, but he's far more than a foppish toff.

    As for calling the "hoodies" "oiks" - well, they got off lightly.

  • Ruddy hero

  • What a dude!

  • legend

  • hes crazy but i love him!

  • 'oiks', a derogatory term for an inferior person.

    Lol great quote!

  • To paraphrase Bill Hicks: "They're on foot, you're on a bike..."

    Why couldn't he catch 'em? That'd have to be one heavy iron bar : )

    Regardless, good on yer Boris. Provided the whole thing isn't a setup of course! Which it probably isn't.

  • GO Boris!!!!!

  • Ruddy good show that chap!

    Sher's right of course better to rely a properly minded Conservative when things get nasty rather than one of those wishy washy hug a hoody leftie types [i.e. David Cameron]!

  • Boris showing the warrior side of his ancestors.

    Boris the Bold

  • Boris rocks!

  • Just when I though Boris was sitting back in the winter months for the political offseason, he comes out and does that. What a champ! First his fantastic job sticking it to Paxman and the Labour party, then this!

    If the Conservatives are going to be like that when they come to power, then bring it on quicker! AND they will introduce lower taxes, even if they won't be that much lower, with Labour and the Tories being such 'catch all' centrals, so more money to spend on bikes IF that is what you wish to do. AND less restriction on business.

    And finally, brilliant use of the term 'oiks', it must have sounded so comical coming from Boris. Probably reminded him of his time in the Bullingdon Club, except they took more to vandalising shops than people.

  • Boris. We salute you

  • I love Borris!! He is great!

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