Save the Southbank

^ I wouldn't be shocked in the slightest if they were trying to get a raise out of the skaters/bmxers/graffiti artists for this exact reason.

Your 'friendly' art institution of Secrecy and Lies

For months we have taken on the chin an extremely aggressive and underhanded campaign run by a place that calls itself 'world class'.

Whereby we have been constantly praised by the public, politicians, local residents and tourists alike for the dignity, integrity, humility, honesty and articulation of our campaign, we are relentlessly called 'aggressive', 'angry', 'abusive' by the institution who says we "refuse" to talk to them, while knowing that the statements they make are wholly untrue. We are thousands of people who are passionate about our home. Who would not be passionate about a place they love, especially while under the threat of eviction?

What is important here is that we are the same people both in front of cameras and behind cameras, both in the public and behind closed doors. We are not trying to trick anyone, we are not trying to hoodwink anyone. We represent an immensely diverse group of people - a diversity of people that the Southbank Centre could only dream of achieving. We are what and who we are - and we wear our hearts on our selves.

We have encountered a very different Southbank Centre to the one that is portrayed in the public eye. To be clear though, we are not speaking of the majority of the staff, many of whom have spoken to us of their support of our campaign and our objective of Preservation. When the magnifying glass is used, it reveals that only a handful of senior staff are responsible for the current campaign of cultural destruction and cultural divide and conquer.

What has been the most shocking and disturbing revelation to us is depth of secrecy and lies that hide behind the glass offices of the institution that has paraded carefully selected images of youth, predominantly of children of non-white backgrounds, in its heavy-handed campaign to win over public support. An institution that wishes to be responsible for teaching our young people and those that they deem are 'marginalised'.

That an institution is unafraid to vilify young people it selects as a target and embark on a campaign of passive aggression, manipulation and bullying is extremely worrying. It is even more worrying that this institution is hailing itself as fit to be responsible for the welfare of 'thousands of young people', especially those that are vulnerable.

The question is not only the protection of one of London's most valuable cultural landmark's, but the protection of us as a community from those that will use us in their campaign of self-gain and self-interest.

The time has come for us to reveal our experiences and the many experiences that many of you have had that you have shared with us.

It is not only us that are concerned about how the Southbank Centre have executed their campaign, it is their own staff, politicians, journalists, students, contractors, artists and performers. We know this because we are constantly contacted by them and you.

This is not about skateboarders, this is about us, the community, and what an institution is willing to do to us to get its own way.

Preservation
Construction WITHOUT Destruction