[diggers350] Sydney Olympics: PROTEST impact on homeless & Aboriginal peoples FWD

[Tom Boland]

FWD - 2 articles on Olympics protests planned & watched in Sydney, Australia:

"Undercover police and special uniformed response groups will keep a "close
and intense watch" on protesters who plan to disrupt the IOC visit.
Anti-Olympic lobby groups plan to use the commission's week-long visit to
highlight the impact of the Olympics on the homeless, the plight of
Aborigines, the ticketing fiasco, and the claimed misuse of public funds."
-- from article below

http://www.smh.com.au:80/news/0002/10/text/pageone3.html
FWD  Sydney Morning Herald - February 10, 2000

     BINS BANNED TO FOIL OLYMPIC PROTESTERS

     By LES KENNEDY and ELLEN CONNOLLY

Sydneysiders and tourists will be forced to carry their own litter with
them during the Olympics when rubbish bins are banished from streets,
tourist areas and sites near Games venues to reduce the threat of bombs
being planted.

As part of the same anti-terrorist measures, Australia Post expects to
remove or secure all post boxes in sensitive areas for the duration of the
Games in September.

Police are billing the plans - revealed on the eve of  the visit of an
International Olympic Committee delegation tomorrow - as simply part of a
"beautification" program.

The measures mimic anti-terrorist procedures in London where for years bins
have been removed from sites such as the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham
Palace and the financial district.

The removal of CBD bins also follows the lessons learnt when two Sydney
City Council garbage workers and a policeman died when a bomb exploded in a
bin outside the Hilton Hotel during the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting in 1978.

When asked about the bins plan, the Olympic Security Command Centre
commander, Assistant Commissioner Paul McKinnon, said it was "part of the
beautification process that will keep everyone happy".

When pressed, Mr McKinnon, who was involved in the Hilton bombing
investigation, said it was part of the "look for the Games".

Asked whether it was part of an anti-bomb strategy, he said: "We are
attempting to provide for every contingency and it is not appropriate for
me to reveal the nature and scope of them."

A spokesman for Sydney's Lord Mayor, Councillor Frank Sartor, said police
had yet to officially approach the council.

The council, as part of its safety drive, has already spent millions of
dollars installing special lighting and cameras throughout the CBD.

Meanwhile, undercover police and special uniformed response groups will
keep a "close and intense watch" on protesters who plan to disrupt the IOC
visit.

Anti-Olympic lobby groups plan to use the commission's week-long visit to
highlight the impact of the Olympics on the homeless, the plight of
Aborigines, the ticketing fiasco, and the claimed misuse of public funds.

Mr McKinnon said the visit would be used as a security "test event" for the
Games.

"The bottom line is [the demonstrations] are a pretty shallow threat but
irrespective of  that we will have appropriate security in place.

"We assess all of  the details, plot the routes, generally oversight the
activities from the point of view of any operational act that might emerge
from it."

*****

http://www.excite.com.au/news/story/aap/20000213/10/domestic/oly-knight-oly.inp
FWD  [Australia]  AAP - February 13, 2000

     KNIGHT LABELS OLYMPICS PROTESTERS 'RATBAGS'

Olympics Minister Michael Knight has warned "ratbag" protesters could
embarrass Australia by using the 2000 Games as a platform to air their
grievances.

Mr Knight claimed radical activists could destroy the credibility of
legitimate campaign groups by staging demonstrations, as the world's media
spotlight falls on Sydney for the prestigious sporting and cultural event.

In an interview with The Sun-Herald he is reported to have warned
demonstrators that their actions could backfire and said: "To play up when
you have guests around I think is counterproductive. A few ratbags could
destroy the credibility of the whole movement."

According to the newspaper report, his warning came as protesters
representing the homeless, Aborigines, cyclists and environmentalists
announced they would form a united front to demonstrate at the Olympics.

The Olympics Impact Coalition is set to begin its campaign with a protest
outside SOCOG headquarters to mark the International Olympic Committee's
visit to Sydney.

According to the newspaper, Mr Knight said: "I think the best expression of
Aboriginality would be to see Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris-Kneebone, Patrick
Johnson or Kyle Vander-Kuyp standing up to receive a medal."

The newspaper also quoted Mr Knight as saying he wants to stay out of the
public eye now, and let the athletes and sponsors of the Games come to the
fore.

After months of scandal, including the ticketing problems and SOCOG's
budget crisis, Mr Knight said it was time to "get the joy back in the
Games".

"We have got to get the excitement back. I am more confident about us
delivering the Games than I have ever been," he told the newspaper.

END FORWARD

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