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Australian PM Placed Under House Arrest By Greenpeace
ANTI-WAR protesters blocked the gates of the prime minister's official residence in Canberra today, forcing John Howard to leave on foot by a back entrance.
Protesters place PM under 'house arrest'
March 19, 2003
ANTI-WAR protesters blocked the gates of the prime minister's official residence in Canberra today, forcing John Howard to leave on foot by a back entrance.
Up to 15 Greenpeace activists moved in at 6am (AEDT), chaining themselves to the gates of The Lodge and to four-wheel drive vehicles parked to block the entrances of the residence.
Mr Howard came face to face with the protesters as he left for his early morning walk and challenged them when he returned, telling one:"I'm entitled to my opinion, you're entitled to yours."
Later the protest prevented Mr Howard leaving for nearby Parliament House by car, forcing him instead to use a pedestrian gate to reach a waiting car outside.
Greenpeace members later agreed with police to end their protest at about 8.30am (AEDT) and said they would not be arrested.
Wearing blue UN berets, 10 protesters used bicycle locks to chain themselves underneath four-wheel drives mocked up to look like UN vehicles, and to security gates.
Greenpeace spokesman Shane Rattenbury said the keys to the locks had been taken away from the site.
The protesters said they faced no opposition as they began their protest.
However soon afterwards at least 20 police as well as Lodge security guards and plain clothes security guarded the compound, situated about 500 metres from Parliament House.
The peak-hour protest caused major traffic congestion on Adelaide Avenue, one of Canberra's major arterial roads.
The protest action follows the Howard government's decision yesterday to commit Australian troops to any attack on Iraq.
The protesters carried large banners including the slogans "Howard's war - a bloody outrage" and "John Howard - war criminal".
Mr Rattenbury said the protesters were symbolically placing Mr Howard under house arrest and intended to maintain the action for some hours.
"The prime minister said yesterday not to have an argument with the Australian troops and to bring the beef to him," Mr Rattenbury said.
"That's what we have done here, we've brought it here to the PM's house to deliver the message that Australians don't want this war in Iraq.
"It's not our war. It's immoral, illegal, and Australians shouldn't be there."
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6151407%255E25777,00.html
March 19, 2003
ANTI-WAR protesters blocked the gates of the prime minister's official residence in Canberra today, forcing John Howard to leave on foot by a back entrance.
Up to 15 Greenpeace activists moved in at 6am (AEDT), chaining themselves to the gates of The Lodge and to four-wheel drive vehicles parked to block the entrances of the residence.
Mr Howard came face to face with the protesters as he left for his early morning walk and challenged them when he returned, telling one:"I'm entitled to my opinion, you're entitled to yours."
Later the protest prevented Mr Howard leaving for nearby Parliament House by car, forcing him instead to use a pedestrian gate to reach a waiting car outside.
Greenpeace members later agreed with police to end their protest at about 8.30am (AEDT) and said they would not be arrested.
Wearing blue UN berets, 10 protesters used bicycle locks to chain themselves underneath four-wheel drives mocked up to look like UN vehicles, and to security gates.
Greenpeace spokesman Shane Rattenbury said the keys to the locks had been taken away from the site.
The protesters said they faced no opposition as they began their protest.
However soon afterwards at least 20 police as well as Lodge security guards and plain clothes security guarded the compound, situated about 500 metres from Parliament House.
The peak-hour protest caused major traffic congestion on Adelaide Avenue, one of Canberra's major arterial roads.
The protest action follows the Howard government's decision yesterday to commit Australian troops to any attack on Iraq.
The protesters carried large banners including the slogans "Howard's war - a bloody outrage" and "John Howard - war criminal".
Mr Rattenbury said the protesters were symbolically placing Mr Howard under house arrest and intended to maintain the action for some hours.
"The prime minister said yesterday not to have an argument with the Australian troops and to bring the beef to him," Mr Rattenbury said.
"That's what we have done here, we've brought it here to the PM's house to deliver the message that Australians don't want this war in Iraq.
"It's not our war. It's immoral, illegal, and Australians shouldn't be there."
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6151407%255E25777,00.html
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Thousands of people around the world, from schoolchildren to trade unionists, took to the streets today to vent their anger at the seemingly inevitable march towards war in Iraq.
In London, Westminster was brought to a standstill as hundreds of students and pupils took part in a sit-down protest against the looming war. For a time, the entrances to government buildings, including Portcullis House, were closed to prevent protesters from entering.
Earlier, an anti-war protester was arrested as activists staged a "die-in" outside the south London home of the foreign secretary, Jack Straw. Dozens of similar events were being held around the country, according to the Stop the War Coalition website.
Protests were today continuing in Australia, where Greenpeace activists blockaded the official residence of the prime minister, John Howard, for almost three hours.
Federal police played down the incident, but an angry and embarrassed Mr Howard was forced to walk through the protesters and climb into a car outside the gates of his residence to get to work.
Activists in the US, under the banner of the United for Peace and Justice group, are co-ordinating "die-ins" and direct action in city halls and public buildings across the country.
In the Philippines, hundreds of placard-waving demonstrators gathered, for a second day, outside the US embassy in Manila.
Some protesters held large clocks showing times in Baghdad and the US as they counted down the hours and minutes to the deadline for invasion set by the US president, George Bush.
In India, around 500 demonstrators were arrested after clashing with police on the streets of Bombay. The demonstrators, members of the Nationalist Congress party, carried placards that said "No war, only peace" and chanted "Down with Bush".
In the eastern city of Calcutta, artists joined dozens of prostitutes and shouted slogans near the American Centre against the expected US-led attack on Iraq.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, hundreds of Muslim students marched through the capital Kashmir. About 400 students chanted "Down with America, down with George Bush" as they marched through Muzaffarabad in a protest organised by a leading Pakistani Islamist party.
They trampled on and burnt a US flag and also set fire to an effigy of Mr Bush, while banners accused the US president of killing Iraqi children and being a "bloodthirsty animal".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,12809,917455,00.html
In London, Westminster was brought to a standstill as hundreds of students and pupils took part in a sit-down protest against the looming war. For a time, the entrances to government buildings, including Portcullis House, were closed to prevent protesters from entering.
Earlier, an anti-war protester was arrested as activists staged a "die-in" outside the south London home of the foreign secretary, Jack Straw. Dozens of similar events were being held around the country, according to the Stop the War Coalition website.
Protests were today continuing in Australia, where Greenpeace activists blockaded the official residence of the prime minister, John Howard, for almost three hours.
Federal police played down the incident, but an angry and embarrassed Mr Howard was forced to walk through the protesters and climb into a car outside the gates of his residence to get to work.
Activists in the US, under the banner of the United for Peace and Justice group, are co-ordinating "die-ins" and direct action in city halls and public buildings across the country.
In the Philippines, hundreds of placard-waving demonstrators gathered, for a second day, outside the US embassy in Manila.
Some protesters held large clocks showing times in Baghdad and the US as they counted down the hours and minutes to the deadline for invasion set by the US president, George Bush.
In India, around 500 demonstrators were arrested after clashing with police on the streets of Bombay. The demonstrators, members of the Nationalist Congress party, carried placards that said "No war, only peace" and chanted "Down with Bush".
In the eastern city of Calcutta, artists joined dozens of prostitutes and shouted slogans near the American Centre against the expected US-led attack on Iraq.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, hundreds of Muslim students marched through the capital Kashmir. About 400 students chanted "Down with America, down with George Bush" as they marched through Muzaffarabad in a protest organised by a leading Pakistani Islamist party.
They trampled on and burnt a US flag and also set fire to an effigy of Mr Bush, while banners accused the US president of killing Iraqi children and being a "bloodthirsty animal".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,12809,917455,00.html
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