At the end of September 2006, Isabelle and I were quietly going about our shopping in the city centre when we rounded a corner to see a small crowd gathered around someone standing on top of a basket and shouting. On closer inspection, our suspicions were confirmed: it was a young American creationist attempting to convert shoppers to YEC.

Keep in mind that Cambridge was ruled by the Liberal Democrats and not Blairs' sidekicks.

There was someone already arguing with the twit. Most of the people who stopped to see what the fuss was about were people who did not know creationism but who, given time, saw through the preacher's rants. That's when it got interesting...

I do not remember precisely what was said to get us involved, but I do remember yelling out, "That's rubbish!" As we got involved, we moved closer to the front. I do recall the person arguing walking up to the preacher and the preacher yelling at him to step back (establishing a podium of authority, imo). Soon afterwards, said person walked off in disgust.

We, er, warmed to the matter at hand and opened up with both barrels. Two others, a doctoral paleontologist and a astro-physicist whose hobby is theology, then joined the fray. The preacher was forced to admit everything he said was religious based and that he had no idea what alleles. He also claimed that God exists because all cultures have a "morality code" and that missionaries found "cultures which had the Ten Commandments" (which he later denied he had said). At one point, we four were applauded by the crowd.

Later, when people lost interest and we were done roasting him, we were talking with the paleontologist and astro-physicist. During the conversation, I had my back turned to the preacher's sidekicks. One of them pulled on my backpack straps; turned around, looked the person up and down with disdain and turned back round. He pulled my bag back the second time and the conversation went:
"You called him a liar."
"Yes, he is."
"If you think he is a liar then why did you stop? Go, walk on."
"I am staying."
"Move it! No one forced you to listen. Move it, now!"
"I will stand wherever I damn well please."
"I said leave."
"Bugger off, idiot", turned my back again and left him fuming.

When it comes to the crunch, for all their talk of tolerance and equality, the creationist preachers merely want to dictate behaviour and beliefs on their own personal terms.