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GLBT and civil liberties advocates are up in arms over new emergency powers, which last for the month of July, that give police the right to fine anyone who causes ‘annoyance’ to World Youth Day participants.
Police and volunteers from the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service will be able to hand down fines of $5,500 to protestors simply for wearing anti-Catholic t-shirts or attempting to hand out condoms to pilgrims – as planned by the No to Pope coalition of groups spearheaded by Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH).
Cameron Murphy, President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties said the measures were worse than those introduced during the Olympics or APEC summit.
“They are extreme and, excessive,” he told SX. “It’s so broad allowing police to fine you if you’re engaging in annoying or inconvenient behaviour. That could mean almost anything and it’s clearly designed to target people who intend to protest. By their very nature protests are annoying and inconvenient but part of a healthy democratic society.”
Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon weighed into the debate, branding the powers “over the top”.
“These draconian measures reflect poorly on the World Youth Day event, the Catholic Church and the NSW government,” Rhiannon said in a statement. “This is about shutting down protests and quarantining the Pope and visiting Catholics away from messages that World Youth Day authorities don’t approve of.”
The No to Pope coalition is still awaiting a response to its notice of intent for a peaceful protest that was submitted to Surry Hills police station on June 26. In addition to a kiss-in at Taylor Square at 3pm on Saturday July 19, organisers plan to march along the Mardi Gras route from midday, starting at Taylor Square to Moore Mark where they will attempt to “engage in friendly dialogue” with pilgrims, handing out condoms to those who will take them, spokesperson Rachel Evans told SX.
“We won’t force anyone to take a condom. There will be dancing queers showing that it’s ok to be at one with your sexuality and celebrate the joys of life.”
The coalition plans to defy the new measures and is calling on the GLBT community and other rights groups to take part in the protests against the Catholic church’s anti-condom, anti-abortion and anti-gay doctrine.
“We are going to challenge this law,” Evans said. “There is no other option for people in Australia who want to defend their right to protest over anything, but to come out against these types of laws.”
Superintendent Donna Adney, the Surry Hills Local Area Commander, said she was unaware of the new powers when contacted by SX but added that handing down fines would be “up to an individual officer at the time depending on what the person is doing and what the person who makes the complaint to officer is doing”.
Visit www.notopope.com for more information on protests.
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