Portland’s distinctive, irreverent spirit was on full display on Sunday as protesters staged an "emergency" naked bike ride, pedalling through the city streets to oppose Donald Trump’s administration.
Participants, many completely nude or nearly so, joined a hastily organised edition of the annual World Naked Bike Ride. Organisers stated the impromptu event was crucial to speak out against Donald Trump’s attempts to mobilise the National Guard to suppress demonstrations.
This unique protest formed part of wider daily and nightly gatherings outside an immigration facility in Oregon’s largest city. Here, crowds have embraced the absurd, donning inflatable frog, unicorn, axolotl, and banana costumes, often facing off against federal law enforcement who deploy tear gas and pepper balls.
Rider Janene King called the nude ride a “quintessentially Portland way to protest.”
The 51-year-old was naked except for wool socks, a wig and a hat. She sipped hot tea and said she was unbothered by the steady rain and temperatures in the mid-50s (about 12 Celsius).
“We definitely do not want troops coming into our city,” King said.
Bike riders made their way through the streets and to the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Authorities there ordered people to stay out of the street and protest only on sidewalks or risk being arrested.
The city is awaiting the ruling of an appeals court panel on whether Trump can send out the federalized troops after a federal judge on Oct. 5 ordered a temporary hold on deployment.
“Joy is a form of protest. Being together with mutual respect and kindness is a form of protest,” the ride’s organizers said on Instagram. “It’s your choice how much or little you wear.”
Fewer people were fully naked than usual — likely because of the cool, wet weather — but some still bared it all and rode wearing only bike helmets.
Naked bike rides have thronged the streets of Oregon’s largest city every year since 2004, often holding up traffic as the crowd cycles through with speakers playing music. Some years have drawn roughly 10,000 riders, according to Portland World Naked Bike Ride.
