At 8 PM, the 18th International Naked Bike Ride began in the center of Thessaloniki. The meeting point for organizers and participants was the park at YMCA (Xarchakos), with a body painting activity taking place beforehand.
Encouraged by the organizers’ invitation, “come as naked as you dare”, participation was once again free this year, with bikes, rollers, and other non-motorized vehicles.
Traffic police were on alert to implement traffic adjustments where needed during the naked bike ride. The first stop of the demonstrators was outside the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), with the ride continuing through central streets of the city.
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As stated in the announcement by GYMNOSOPHY – Nature-loving Collective for the Environment, Bicycle & Soft Mobility, Animal Rights, Free Spaces-Body-Expression:
“The removal of the bike lane on Nikis Avenue to once again accommodate polluting cars because of the pharaonic Flyover project, precisely at a time when the Metro has been delivered, and surface space should be reallocated from cars to bike lanes and pedestrian zones. The high-density development plans for TIF with a hotel and shopping center, instead of seizing the last opportunity for a large high-greenery lung at the city center with a Metropolitan Park. The statements claiming that Thessaloniki ‘cannot handle’ other forms of public transport, such as sea transport, tram, or cable car. The neglect of the railway system that led to the tragedy at Tempi. The new restrictions on parking of motorhomes and campers. The condemnation of our country for failing to take measures to combat air pollution in Thessaloniki. All of these reflect that those in charge act against freedom and multimodal transportation, soft mobility, and quality of life.”
In another part, they note:
“Paradoxically, Thessaloniki has signed the Climate Pact ‘100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030’, and thus must meet its obligations by reducing CO2 emissions by 80%. The plan includes promoting alternative forms of transportation through enhanced micro-mobility and public transit use.”
According to the organizers, they are simultaneously calling on the public to sign for:
“A Safe Bicycle Network Now, A Referendum for a Metropolitan High-Greenery Park, and No to the Total Ban on Parking Motorhomes and Campers in Greece.”
“For all these reasons, it’s time we put a STOP to the indecent exposure of people and the planet to pollution and violence. A celebration of advocacy for Bicycles, the Environment, and Free Bodies. Come as naked as you dare, free participation, with bicycles, rollers, and other non-motorized vehicles,” the statement concludes.
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