Trenton Oldfield Banned from Olympic Torch Route

---

Boat Race protestor bailed after court appearance

Trenton Oldfield, the man arrested after a swimmer interrupted the University Boat Race appeared in court in Feltham on Monday, April 23.

Mr Oldfield, 35, of Whitechapel in East London was charged under the Public Order Act.

In court he was banned from the Olympic Torch route and from making visits to Windsor before the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

He is also prevented from entering the city of Westminster on May 9 for the State Opening of Parliament.

The Unversity Boat Race had to be stopped after he appeared in front of one of the crews by Chiswick Eyot.

The race marshall was forced to halt both crews after he was narrowly missed by the oars of the Oxford crew. He was taken ashore at Chiswick Pier by the Chiswick RNLI lifeboat where eye witnesses report that he received a hostile reception being booed by onlookers.

Trenton Oldfield previously worked with the Thames Strategy - Kew to Chelsea partnership which aims to manage the development of the river in this area. He was based at Hammersmith Town Hall whilst working with the group. Mr. Oldfield was also employed as a consultant to manage the Open Chiswick event in 2008. He has also been a participant in the Great River Swim from Chiswick Pier.

In a blog authored by Trenton Oldfield called Elitism Leads to Tyranny the reason given for the disruption of the race was that the stretch of the Thames on which the event takes pace "is also the site of a number of past and present elitist establishments; Fulham Palace, Chiswick House and St Paul's Schools and a large collection of other 'independent/public/free schools'." He also mentions Putney, condemning Nick Clegg for choosing to live there rather than in his Sheffield constituency.

He says (in capitals in original), "THIS IS A PROTEST, AN ACT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, A METHODOLOGY OF REFUSING AND RESISTANCE. THIS ACT HAS EMPLOYED GUERRILLA TACTICS. I AM SWIMMING INTO THE BOATS IN THE HOPE I CAN STOP THEM FROM COMPLETING THE RACE AND PROPOSING THE RETURN OF SURPRISE TACTICS. THIS IS ‘PEACEFUL’ ... I HAVE NO WEAPONS (DON’T SHOOT!) MY ONLY FEAR, IS NOT SWIMMING FAST ENOUGH TO GET IN THE RIGHT POSITION TO PREVENT THE BOATS."

On Monday, Mr Oldfield was remanded on bail to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on May 23rd next.

 

April 24, 2012