Nude cyclists riding through Sydney's streets for the World Naked Bike Ride were expecting trouble from police.
But it was security staff at Sydney University who gave them the most grief, forcing them off the campus while they were painting their naked bodies.
About 25 naked cyclists, sporting body-paint slogans, rode from central Sydney near Sydney University to King Street in Newtown on Saturday to help raise awareness of the dangers to cyclists and pedestrians, and the negative effects of oil, cars, war and non-renewable energy.
While painting up on the grounds of Sydney University, security staff were accommodating until a media contingent left the scene.
"The security staff said: `Provided you put your pants on, you're welcome to stay and paint yourselves'," according to Australian co-ordinator Marte Kinder.
"But after the media left, the security staff started picking on a girl who had identified herself as a student of Sydney University and they wanted her to produce her identity card. "They weren't doing anything, except painting our body, which is not offensive."
Mr Kinder said the security staff changed their tune, adding they had new instructions from their superiors and claimed they were trespassing.
"I intervened and said, `why have you said we can stay and now you're arguing with this young woman' ... and they said, `we're going to call the police now, we consider you're trespassing, we've got some different instructions from our boss'."
Mr Kinder said the lack of support was disappointing.
"So without the press, the security staff on campus were quite discriminatory against someone who has a right to be there and inconsistent in their application of what they said themselves was acceptable," he said.
The naked riders were forced to paint up at a nearby park, leaving the university grounds.
"The young woman and her male friend refused to give their details to security staff because they thought it was an impingement of their rights and they left the ride and didn't rejoin us," Mr Kinder said.
"The rest of the riders went to a public park and painted themselves - it was a very disappointing reaction for something that was essentially harmless and you would think that a university would have liberal, broad-minded ideas."
Meanwhile, the police didn't catch the riders, who were warned not to parade naked in Sydney's streets.
"It was very well received by motorists and by people standing on the footpath as we rode pass," Mr Kinder said.
"The police wanted us to ride with our clothes on and obey the traffic rules.
"They said keep your clothes on and we're not tolerant of naked non-sexual exposure.
"The police didn't catch us and as far as I know no one complained."
Comment was being sought from Sydney University.
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