A bus driver who was stuck in the middle of a huge anti-racism protest for hours said the experience made him proud to be a Brightonian. Greg Lord was operating the number seven Brighton and Hove Bus service towards George Street , when his route got cut short after being swarmed by protestors in Queens Road on August 7 . Counter-protesters took to Brighton city centre after rumours of possible upcoming riots spread.
This came as violent protests were causing destruction across the country since the tragic Southport stabbings which killed three girls. Greg Lord has been a bus driver for the company for over 20 years (Image: Brighton and Hove Buses) Greg has been a bus driver for the company for over 20 years. And unknowingly his bus became part of the symbol of unity within Brighton after an image taken on the night and shared on The Argus went viral internationally.
“People had been talking about the protests all day, and I wasn’t sure at what time it would get busy," Greg told The Argus. "But surely enough as soon as I went up Queen’s Road it was starting to get crowded. 'It was astonishing, because as I was going up the road it was perfectly clear and then all of a sudden it filled with a crowd' (Image: EDDIE MITCHELL) “It was astonishing, because as I was going up the road it was perfectly clear and then all of a sudden it filled with a crowd.
“As soon as I saw that the number of people would be able to surround the bus, I made the decision to stop, turn the bus.