Jeremy Clarkson: Police forced to issue advisory as the Stig drives tank through London to deliver Top Gear petition to the BBC
The stunt, organised by Guido Falkes, was meant to take place when the campaign on Change.org received its millionth supporter
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The Stig is on his way to the BBC Broadcasting House in a tank clutching a petition not yet signed by the landmark millionth supporter.
The Top Gear test driver aims to deliver Change.org’s fastest ever growing campaign to bosses, demanding they reinstate suspended host Jeremy Clarkson following his “fracas” with a show producer.
However, at the time of writing, the petition is around 9,000 short of the mark needed to meet its 1 million target, which could cause some embarrassment to stunt organisers Guido Fawkes, who started the campaign.
“There is a self-propelled gun/armoured vehicle being driven through the streets of Central London this morning making its way to the Broadcasting House in Portland Place,” it reads.
“Police are fully aware and are in contact with the event organisers. The vehicle is currently in Islington.”
The police are, however, yet to receive any worried calls from Londoners.
The TV star was originally disciplined by the broadcaster after he allegedly punched show producer Oisin Tymon and called him a “lazy, Irish c**t”. It is thought the "fracas" started when Tymon reportedly failed to give Clarkson a hot meal at the end of a day of shooting.
A BBC investigation is currently underway into the incident, which allegedly left Tymon with a bloodied lip and needing hospital treatment, The Mirror reports.
It is thought that Clarkson will strenuously deny using xenophobic language when he faces a disciplinary inquiry.
But the 54-year-old personality has received a wealth of public support in the wake of the "fracas", not least from the Change.org campaign started by political blogger Guido Fawkes last week.
The petition calls for “Freedom to fracas” and demands that the broadcaster give Clarkson back the role he has held, alongside co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May, since 2002.
Brie Rogers Lowery, UK director of Change.org, told The Independent: "The pace at which this petition grew was interesting to watch, but it’s quite different to most of the petitions we see on the site. Most petitions on Change.org that go on to win do so with 100 signatures or less - so while the number of signatories does make a great story, it is not the only way to measure a petition's impact.
"Often, the petitions that take off are particularly personal to the people who started them - from issues as broad as ending FGM, to saving a woman from execution in Sudan, to asking for a Living Wage to be paid by football clubs."
However, it isn't the biggest petition overall on the website. The #SaveMiriam campaign, which called for Sudanese mother and doctor Meriam Yehya Ibrahim not to be executed for being Christian, beats it with 1,092,280 at the time of writing.
The petition also features the hashtag #BringBackClarkson, which has trended at numerous times on Twitter over the past seven days.
Clarkson even counts the Prime Minister David Cameron as among his higher profile supporters.
“I am very grateful to everybody,” Clarkson told BBC News on Sunday in response to the backing he’s received from his fans.
Top Gear has been axed from the BBC’s TV schedules over the last week. However, a decision on whether four live shows will still air from Norway on 27 and 28 of March is yet to be reached.
Top 10 Biggest Petitions On Change.Org:
1. Don't execute Meriam Yehya Ibrahim for being Christian #SaveMeriam
4. Stop 11% pay rise for MPs salaries
5. New Era
6. Green Party included in the debates
8. Ashya King
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