Sydney Morning Herald
A protest involving around 50 bare-bottomed activists spilled onto Sydney streets today, stalling an APEC motorcade and triggering scuffles with police.
The Bums for Bush campaign was hailed a success by organisers, even though drizzling rain kept many protesters away from the mooning anti-Bush protest.
Around 50 people lined up at Hyde Park’s north end and mooned an audience of several hundred people, including supporters and media.
After two encores of the performance, rain dispersed the protest, which then moved to Elizabeth Street, outside the Sheraton on the Park hotel, where witnesses said protesters blocked an APEC motorcade.
Protesters took to the streets before police officers forcibly pushed people off the road, yelling: “Move, get off the road.”
Around 200 protesters lined both sides of Elizabeth Street and played blaring music, as police on bicycles stood watch.
Barely minutes after many in the crowd moved towards the hotel, a helicopter swooped over the scene while a bus delivered an additional 20 police officers.
Protesters, carrying placards reading “Sign Kyoto, you wankers”, cheered and clapped, chanting “Bush, Howard, USA, how many kids did you kill today?”
Police could not immediately confirm the reports that protesters had hindered a motorcade.
There was one arrest at a gathering near the Sheraton hotel at the junction of Elizabeth and Market streets this afternoon when a man who appeared to be defying police instructions was taken away. Police later said he was charged with assaulting police.
Serene Green protest
Earlier, police and media vastly outnumbered a group of Greens in at a peaceful press conference in Sydney’s Martin Plaza today despite earlier APEC security fears.
At the open-air gathering, Green Senator Kerry Nettle called on the Federal Government to commit to specific climate change targets.
Although police had initially feared the conference could be dangerous, the scene could hardly have been any more non-threatening.
A row of 21 Greens dressed up as surf lifesavers and held “Save the Climate” placards. They were joined by Senator Nettle and Greens NSW MP Sylvia Hale.
Surrounding them was a close huddle of more than 40 local and international media. And, as has been the case all week, groups of uniformed police and other burly men in suits and dark glasses stood and watched proceedings.
About a dozen onlookers walking through the largely deserted Martin Place stopped to look before moving on.
Police had threatened earlier this week to take the Greens to court to stop the press conference going ahead.
However, they relented on this threat yesterday, saying the event no longer posed a security risk.
During her speech, Senator Nettle berated authorities, saying that the response if the police and military had been “over the top.”
(Original Article)