Commedy in Sydney summit

[Jaga]

Comedians lead protests at Sydney gathering of world leaders

By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Published: 08 September 2007
A team from a satirical television show has made a laughing-stock of the huge security operation surrounding this week's Apec meeting – by driving a fake motorcade with a Canadian flag through two police checkpoints and brandishing "insecurity" passes.

The team from ABC Television's The Chaser were stopped only after one of their number emerged from a car dressed as Osama bin Laden, in a long false beard and flowing robes. They were already well inside the so-called "restricted zone" designed to protect Apec's 21 world leaders, including President George Bush.

The furious commissioner of New South Wales Police, Andrew Scipione, said yesterday that, with snipers deployed all over Sydney, the 11 people staging the stunt could have been shot. As it was, they were arrested, and face a possible prison sentence of up to six months, under draconian regulations introduced just for the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit.

Their motorcade – featuring two vans, a hire car and two motorcycles – was one of dozens crossing the city yesterday, and came within a block of President Bush's hotel. The occupants of the official-looking black vehicles, decked out with Canadian flags, were wearing passes that carried the words "Insecurity", "Joke" and "Chasers ABC".

The show's executive producer, Julian Morrow, who was among those arrested, denied that the prank was irresponsible. "I wouldn't think so," he said. "Lucky it was us and not al-Qa'ida."

Mr Scipione, who is in charge of the £65m Apec security operation, the biggest ever mounted in Australia, said: "I'm very angry ... It was a very dangerous stunt ... They [the snipers] weren't there for show, they mean business."

[Jaga]

How Australia became Austria – and in Opec

The 21 nations that make up the Asia- Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum account for half the world’s trade. They have, however, long suspected that the biggest member, the United States, did not take it seriously.

President Bush did nothing to dispel that impression yesterday when he forgot the name of the event, referred to his Australian hosts as “Austrians”, and engaged in a public spat with the President of South Korea. To make matters worse, the security measures of the Sydney police were breached by a team of comedians, including a man dressed as Osama bin Laden.

Mr Bush flew to Australia via Iraq, and during his keynote speech to businessmen in Sydney he behaved like a man in the throes of jet lag. Many will sympathise with his mispronunciation of the South-East Asian militant organisation Jemaah Islamiyah, and his struggle with the name of the Burmese democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. It was forgivable when he walked the wrong way off the stage and had to be guided by John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister.

But when he referred gratefully to Mr Howard’s forces in Iraq as “Austrian troops”, he had perhaps used up his credit. The worst mistake was made in the third sentence of his speech. “Thank you for being such a fine host for the Opec summit,” he said, confusing the 12-member Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries with the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum. “Apec summit,” he said quickly in correction. “He [Mr Howard] invited me to Opec next year.” But that wasn’t true either.

and more:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2407708.ece

[hollister]

I'm glad you saw the humor in the whole fiasco Jaga. I was simply embarrassed and distressed.