Thread by @HumanGayMale

Yesterday, there was a protest opposite Downing Street calling for the conversion therapy ban to include "trans conversion therapy". I was stood a little way away from the actual group of protestors, up towards Trafalgar Square, and was holding the sign in the photo. 1/20

I didn't try to infiltrate the protest crowd, nor did I shout or chant anything or try and start conversations with any of them, but I did respond if people spoke to me. I had a couple of short, civil interactions with people about my views on the conversion therapy issue. 2/20

Several people walking by just shouted or swore at me & didn't want to have any kind of conversation. Several people tried to grab my sign, including one who tore it & drew on it with a marker pen (maybe different people?). One person got into a longer conversation with me. 3/20

I explained I wouldn't oppose a ban on any kind of conversion therapy if the legislation (and campaign) could actually define terms, namely what do they mean by "trans"? This person gave their definition of conversion therapy, but seemed unable/unwilling to define "trans". 4/20

I asked if this meant a conversion therapy ban should be for any kind of characteristic, which lead to discussing the Equality Act. They then just kept repeating "what?" and talking about "semantics", avoiding just agreeing on what is in the Act so we could talk about it. 5/20

When they could see I wasn't being deterred by their mantras & word salad, and that I wasn't raising my voice or being intimidated by them, they got shoutier. At this point, a man (taller than me, maybe late 20s) said I needed to leave & grabbed the backpack on my shoulder. 6/20

He started to drag me across the pavement by the bag, & tried to grab my body with his other hand. I twisted around to shake him off & pull my bag back. He grabbed my sign & forced it down, hitting me across the head with it, & knocking another man's phone out of his hand. 7/20

Realising he had caused this, the man dragging me by the bag backed off & I didn't see him again. When I stood back upright, a ginger haired woman was trying to pull at the sign. When I turned back to the original person I was talking with, she and another man joined in. 8/20

Original person had a covid mask on. The taller man had a hat/hood & a black mask or scarf, so I could only see his eyes. They were all shouting at once, and now just demanding I go. A couple of others joined in, saying I was Christian Far Right, mentioning swastikas etc. 9/20

I said this wasn't going anywhere productive and tried to walk across the pavement, in away from the road. The original short person stood right up next to me with their arms out, preventing me from moving without touching them. I walked the other way into the street. 10/20

This person followed me across the street with their arms out. I held my arm up to prevent them from grabbing me or getting too close. On the other side of the road, I loudly said to the passing tourists to tell the nearby police this person wouldn't stop following me. 11/20

By this point, ginger woman & taller man had crossed the road too, shouting "did you just hit her", when they realised that I was heading towards the police.
The short person prevented me from walking through were the pavement space narrowed due to some temporary barriers. 12/20

I said excuse me and pointed out that an older man and a child were trying to get through from the other direction. When the short person moved, I walked through and went up to the police outside Downing Street gates. I said that these people won't stop following me. 13/20

One officer took them a little further away and I explained what was happening to another officer. He didn't say there was anything wrong with what I was doing, and I explained a little about the issues (he was there for the XR demos, not the conversion therapy protest). 14/20

I stood there for a few minutes, had a drink of water, and said to the officer I'd go back over the other side of the road and further up. He was fine with this. Then another officer came over to say I was being arrested, as the trio had said I assaulted one of them. 15/20

I was handcuffed, then we waited for a long while for a police van which took me to Hammersmith (Charing Cross police station was full - thanks XR).

Police were great throughout arrest & at the station. Eventually, officers from Charing Cross came over to interview me. 16/20

I walked them through what the protest was about, why I was there, my beliefs, & what had happened. They said "so you tried to defuse the situation and walk away?" I said yes but I was prevented from moving. One accusation was that I shoved the person with both hands. 17/20

I said I was holding the bag to my shoulder with one hand, and carrying a heavy wooden sign in the other, so how exactly am I meant to have shoved someone with both hands? Their look said it all. After some more waiting back in the cell, I was released without charge. 18/20

When I got my phone back, and had replied to a load of messages, I tried to get onto Twitter to say what had happened but had a reported tweet I had to delete and then a 12-hour restriction on tweeting. 19/20

So, I'm fine. Assault wasn't bad, just minor cuts on my hands & banged head from sign post being pushed. Arrest was annoying (7 hours total) but it shows these people will lie to silence reality.

They don't like it once they realise you are not prepared to be intimidated. 20/20