Thread by @GeorgeMonbiot

Shut out of our nation, we are born on the wrong side of the law.
It is time to put this right.
Decolonise the land.
My column
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

When we visit the zoo, we think “look at those poor animals, trapped in cages”.
But we too, a free ranging species, are trapped, in tiny caged parks, on pavements and footpaths, while almost all the land is closed to us.

My column draws on a brilliant new book: The Book of Trespass by @nickhayesillus1.
It's a masterpiece: profound and richly textured, and beautifully illustrated by the author.
labiblioteka.co/item/the-book-…

He and @guyshrubsole have launched a new campaign to help reclaim our place in the land: righttoroam.org.uk

And please sign Guy's petition against the government's proposal to criminalise trespass: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/3001…

There are two arguments against a right to roam that are repeatedly trotted out.
1. If we let people into the countryside, they'll wreck it.
I address this in my comment below the line:

2. How would you like it if I walked in your garden?

Well, if my garden covered 10,000 acres, I wouldn't mind at all.
None of us are calling for a right to roam in ordinary gardens. The r to r laws in Scotland, Sweden and much of Europe are clear and consistent on this point.

One landowner who caught me trespassing 400m away from her house asked me "how would you like it if people walked past your front door?"
I replied "people walk past my front door every minute of the day."