The Speakers

The speakers declaim to crowds of hundreds or talk intently with small groups. They are mostly, but not only, men, with firm ideas about their territory. Stepladders, milk crates, or beautifully crafted wooden boxes raise them up. “Fisherman’s Friends” and oranges soothe their throats. Some have a serious message; others set out to entertain, but every orator needs jokes or controversy to draw a crowd into their orbit. Many embellish their platforms with banners and placards, ranging from the self-deprecating: “Tony Allen; advocate heckler, anarchist parasite, mixed ability shaman,” to the sincere: “Heavenly flight paths, Christ’s embassy.”

Audio clips about the speakers

“Fight or flight”