
Some activists lobby governments, companies, whatever, for change in a sensible and measured manner. I admire them. But I have extra admiration for those who get their hands dirty, so to speak.
Peter Tatchell is one such activist. He visited Sydney and attended the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. As usual, provocative, but then the christians started this with their figurehead Reverend Nile protesting against their parade, however ineffectively. You really would think that Rome in the twenty first century would have rid itself of extreme hypocrisy.
One of Tatchell's best stunts was the attempted arrest of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe.
The attempted seizure of President Mugabe took place as his motorcade left the St James's Court Hotel in Buckingham Gate, London SW1, where he had been staying during a "private" shopping visit to Britain.
Running out into the road in front of the Presidential motorcade, Tatchell's three OutRage! colleagues - John Hunt, Alistair Williams and Chris Morris - forced the President's car to stop.
Peter Tatchell ran from behind the President's halted limousine, opened the rear door and grabbed the President by the arm: "President Mugabe, you are under arrest for torture", Tatchell told the startled President. "Torture is a crime under international law".
Turning to the President's bodyguards, Tatchell said: "Call the police. The President is under arrest on charges of torture".
Mugabe and his bodyguards reacted with stunned disbelief: "They looked confused, shocked and uncertain what to do next", recalls Tatchell.
Tatchell remonstrated with the President, citing the torture of the Zimbabwean journalists Ray Choto and Mark Chavunduka of The Standard newspaper in Harare. Read more here if you wish.