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Protester on indecent exposure charge arrives at court naked
17.02.05 1.00pm
An environmental protester charged with indecent exposure arrived for his appearance at Auckland District Court today naked.
Simon Oosterman, 24, a computer technician, was charged during the Auckland Naked Bike Ride last Sunday, an event he organised to protest against society's dependence on the car.
After Oosterman was stopped by police, the rest of the riders covered up the lower parts of their bodies to avoid arrest.
Today, Oosterman and three supporters, two males and a female, stood outside the couthouse naked and bearing a banner that read: "Stop indecent exposure to vehicle emissions".
He then went inside and headed up the escalator, still naked, to the courtrooms.
He got dressed before entering court, where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded on bail to reappear on March 21.
Outside court, Oosterman said he would be fighting the charge, arguing that public nudity was different from indecent exposure.
"The purpose of the protest was to draw attention to the issue of transport emissions," he said, noting that the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases came into force yesterday.
"There has to be a distinction between people flashing young girls and public nudity, which is benign."
Oosterman said he had decided to get dressed before going into the courtroom because he didn't want to risk being charged with contempt of court.
"The police actually sent a senior sergeant from the police station and he saw me go up the escalator," he said. "He told me he was grateful I got dressed at the top."
Oosterman added that he had received plenty of support over his stand.
There had been emails from around the world after news of his arrest, and today there were plenty of thumbs up from passers-by.
"The people at the court thought it was funny too," he said. "Most people supported it. Not one person said anything negative."
Oosterman has protested nude in public before, over genetic engineering.
- NZPA
17.02.05 1.00pm
An environmental protester charged with indecent exposure arrived for his appearance at Auckland District Court today naked.
Simon Oosterman, 24, a computer technician, was charged during the Auckland Naked Bike Ride last Sunday, an event he organised to protest against society's dependence on the car.
After Oosterman was stopped by police, the rest of the riders covered up the lower parts of their bodies to avoid arrest.
Today, Oosterman and three supporters, two males and a female, stood outside the couthouse naked and bearing a banner that read: "Stop indecent exposure to vehicle emissions".
He then went inside and headed up the escalator, still naked, to the courtrooms.
He got dressed before entering court, where he pleaded not guilty and was remanded on bail to reappear on March 21.
Outside court, Oosterman said he would be fighting the charge, arguing that public nudity was different from indecent exposure.
"The purpose of the protest was to draw attention to the issue of transport emissions," he said, noting that the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases came into force yesterday.
"There has to be a distinction between people flashing young girls and public nudity, which is benign."
Oosterman said he had decided to get dressed before going into the courtroom because he didn't want to risk being charged with contempt of court.
"The police actually sent a senior sergeant from the police station and he saw me go up the escalator," he said. "He told me he was grateful I got dressed at the top."
Oosterman added that he had received plenty of support over his stand.
There had been emails from around the world after news of his arrest, and today there were plenty of thumbs up from passers-by.
"The people at the court thought it was funny too," he said. "Most people supported it. Not one person said anything negative."
Oosterman has protested nude in public before, over genetic engineering.
- NZPA
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