Baljinder Badesha, a Sikh biker from Ontario, Canada has lost his court battle to NOT wear a helmet because of his turban.   He received a $110 fine in 2005 for not wearing a helmet and has been contesting the fine since.   But last week an Ontario judge ruled against him.                                                                                                                                                                                 

health and safety v culture/religion now there is a can of worms if anyone wants to open it                                                                                                                                                                             

the courts are damn right.   When you choose a religion, you choose the lifestyle that goes with it.  Being a Sikh means that you have certain restrictions (How does he go about going to a swimming pool for example?).   He chose that life, so he should stop complaining.  It's obvious he can't wear a helmet, and therefore he can't legally ride a bike in his country.  End of story - shouldn't have even got to court.                                                                                                                                                                             

Interesting to see a legal system that went the opposite way to ours... On and around this subject - I'd encourage any BM members who don't know who Fred Hill was to maybe spend 10 minutes reading about him (try Fred Hill MAG as a search) Whether you support the helmet law or are against it - Fred was a man who stuck by his principles and should hopefully at least be remembered for that   RIP                                                                                                                                                                               

  Hey Matt, I know chlorine plays havoc with me hair but I wouldn't want to wear a helmet when I was swimming                                                                                                                                                                               

Hey Kwak, I agree, but that lass on the Zovirax advert did everything with her helmet on so that no one could see her face, including going swimming. Don't know why though, at the end of the advert she took her helmet off and she was gorgeous!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Fred Hill was certainly a character!   Shame he had to die in nick. I loved the bit about the lady magistrate.   Once in the dock of a magistrates court where a lady magistrate berated his lawlessness, Fred took the opportunity to remind her that if it hadn't been for members of her sex breaking the law some years ago, she wouldn't be sitting where she was.                                                                                                                                                                             

yea i dont understand that bit...????                                                                                                                                                                             

Suffragettes Matt.   If they hadn't of marched and thrown themselves in front of race horses and chained themselves to railings then women wouldn't have been given the vote!                                                                                                                                                                             

  It was only ONE woman (Emily Wilding Davison at the 1913 Derby) who threw herself under the King's horse. Which did her, and the suffrage movement, no favours cos the men at that time were asking if this is what an educated woman does what would a lesser educated woman do? Even some suffragettes were concerened she was bringing the movement into disrepute. Her headstone is inscribed with the words 'Deeds not words'       Some think the reason that women were given the right to vote was mainly due to the fact the government didn't want a return to the (sufragette) violence of pre-1914 Britain.     Soz had me anorak on there a bit lol it fascinates me, I did a 1500 word essay on the sufragette movement (for my son, for work, the lazy devil)                                                                                                                                                                                         

so thats when Britain took a U-Turn   hahaha, ONLY JOKING!                                                                                                                                                                             

    *slap* and another from Emily (she just ouija-ed me )                                                                                                                                                                              

I know it was only ONE woman who got trampled by King George V's horse Anmer at the Epsom Derby, I was encompassing them as a GROUP of law breakers. Women finally getting complete voting rights on a par with men in 1928 I believe!