Sydney anti-war marchers defy police ban and reclaim the streets: Good Pics

[laststeamtrain]

http://www.brushtail.com.au/assets/july_06_on/220207_cheney_demo/shame!_shame!_2.jpg



Chain up Cheney! Bring Hicks home!
Sydney anti-war marchers defy police ban and reclaim the streets

A Possum News Network Exclusive
Words and pictures by Gavin Gatenby

Thursday 22 February 2007

This evening 1500 anti-war demonstrators overcame a strong police presence and, after a half-hour confrontation with the NSW riot squad and mounted police marched to the US Consulate to protest against US Vice-President Dick Cheney's visit to Australia and the five-year imprisonment of David Hicks in Guantanamo Bay.

An unexpected last-minute ban by NSW Police (no doubt at the instigation of the NSW Labor Government) turned what would have been a routine demonstration into a major test of the right to march.

The demonstrators prevailed after hundreds filtered through the police cordon around Town Hall Square. The remaining demonstrators bottled up in the square then voted to disperse and move in small groups to the US Consulate in Martin Place. Faced with the impossibility pursuing hundreds of small groups of demonstrators through Thursday night shopping crowds, the police relented and allowed the demonstration to proceed to the US Consulate.

<more> Pics

http://www.brushtail.com.au/july_06_on/chain_up_cheney.html

[Richard Steele]

1. K&R

[madfloridian]

2. Beautiful...recommending.

Love that bend over John sign.

[shance]

3. And another recommendation. Notice how the police are not so walled off like ours are.

Some of them seem to even be wondering if they should join the protestors****

I like Australia!

:toast:

[peace13]

5. DC police were pretty nice for the January march

I was pleasantly surprised. I have to stick up for them here! Peace, Kim

[shance]

8. That's great to know that our police still realize their stuck with this Administration like we are.

Thanks for posting and sticking up for the good guys!!

That is alway appreciated***

[hootinholler]

9. DC cops are pretty good about protestors...

It's when they bring in outside help that things generally go south. There was a pretty big settlement recently over a pepper spray incident during the Jan '05 inaguration.

-Hoot

[peace13]

11. I hear what you are saying.

I have seen video of the force in their riot gear and remember the scenes from Boston a while back. I was a little leary of going to DC last month for the protest but was happy to see that the riot gear was left in the closet. I hope this is the case on March 17th at the Pentagon. I do realize that at the hint of a problem all bets are off. Thanks for the alert on outsiders. I will remember that. Peace, Kim

[PLF]

4. those cops ought to publicly apologize and resign

[opihimoimoi]

6. Bush Cheney GOP should take a HINT....the Peeps are angry...and the GOP gonna pay dearly

for this war crap.....

[cal04]

7. Great pics. Thanks for the post

Protesters rally over Cheney arrests
Protesters at the corner of Essex and Harrington Streets in The Rocks this morning.
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/02/23/cheney_protest_reader_wideweb__470x360,0.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/protesters-rally-over-arrests/2007/02/23/1171733984976.html

[malaise]

10. Superb organization

There are lessons from Sydney.

I love that sign: Bend over John Dick is here.:rofl: :rofl:

[Beaverhausen]

12. "Bend over John, Dick is here"

:rofl:

[bananarepublican]

13. Howard was only going for the soap! n/t

[northofdenali]

14. ROCK ON AUSTRALIA!!!

:applause::applause::toast::toast::loveya::toast::toast::applause::applause:

Great pics, and I'm so glad that the US anti-war movement has Australia, Canada, France, England etc. with us - makes it a little easier to be less scared of * and his minions.

There's a contact link at the website, so I sent 'em a thank-you note. Never hurts to encourage and thank an ally.

[Sydnie]

15. "A Dingo got my VP"

I'd LOVE to see that headline! :rofl:

[SaneInSC]

16. wish

I wish we had more protests like these here in the US. Then again, I guess they(AU) probably rank higher on the 'freedom' scale then we are...so sad. I WON'T give up however. Amazing how billions of dollars isn't enough for them..just amazing..