:thumb2:

I've got a fleeting hope it'll rear its head again after the Bush/Cheney fiasco.


HM- right on the money

The Australians need to learn from our government. It's fine to have protesters, just make sure they are only allowed to protest a mile or so away in a "freedom zone". ;)

The thing I don't get is how people protest about war, one of the main objections being the violence and killing, and yet these protests inevitably become violent. Rather hypocritical if you ask me.

If you want to protest here you've got to get a permit to do so ahead of time (which the organizers of this protest did). If you don't have a permit for it, the cops are allowed to shut you down without notice. I think that's fair enough.

No they don't.

Maybe not all HM, but many do.

Not in DC, probably in part due to the professionalism of DC cops.

Maybe so. I don't think Australians in general are afraid enough of cops.

It's not fear of cops that causes violence, it's anger. In Portland, the cops are assholes at protests, and violence ensues. In DC, the cops stand back and let the protests take place, and things go fine.

In my experience over here, it's the protesters who generally start the physical stuff. The cops are pretty gentle and stand offish till protesters start to work outside the sphere of their permit. that is, they march in the wrong direction or they protest outside the hours specified for example. Unfortunately, A lot of Australians don't respect the rules in situations like that, and that's why a large number of protests here become violent.

I still dont understand why the FUCK you need a permit to protest. That's just messed up. Needing a permit opens the doors to suppression... and then you get tanks in the streets.

You need a permit because you are not the only person your protest is going to affect. With that in mind, a permit enables all affected parties to be prepared. This includes not only police and politicians for example, but also other citizens who are likely to be in the area.

This is a courtesy.

It's a courtesy, yes, and I certainly think it's perfectly fine and reasonable to get one to warn people, but to make it ILLEGAL to protest without a permit just opens the whole process to abuse.

There are laws in every aspect of society. Why should there not be laws in relation to this aspect? Without it, protesters could cause no end of disruption.

Which is, of course, half of the point of protesting. If they wont pay attention to you, make them. If protests never bothered anyone there wouldnt be a whole lotta point now would there?