6. RNG (2015)

At Nowhere Festival in Spain in 2015 I was volunteering as a first aider. Myself and another volunteer were on a night shift patrolling the festival site, making sure people were safe and giving assistance to anyone that needed it.

Around 5 or 6 in the morning we were called over to a situation. A couple, a man and a woman, had been sitting out in the desert outside the festival perimeter when a naked man appeared. The man was very intoxicated and had approached the woman in a forceful way. The couple quickly left and came back to the festival site. When we spoke to them they said they didn’t need any help but were still quite shaken and nervous. The man from the couple said that he was glad he had been there as he was afraid for what might have happened if the woman had been alone.

The other volunteer and I went into the desert where they had been to see if we could find the man. As we approached the edge of the campsite we saw a naked man in the distance. We started to follow him but lost sight of him behind some small hills. When we caught up to him he had put some clothes on. As we approached him I recognised him as Stephen Reid. I believe he recognised me too and gave me a hug. My colleague spoke to him, asked if he was ok or if he needed any help. He was still clearly very high. Steve said he was fine and continued on his way. 

At the time I didn’t know that this incident was part of a larger pattern. I felt that his behaviour was extremely inappropriate but since I didn’t know him very well and was unfamiliar with the effects of the drugs he had taken, I wasn’t sure how to follow the incident up. When I learned later that other people had witnessed or experienced similar things with Steve, I felt it was important that I shared this experience in solidarity with others. (4, 5)

RNG (2015)