Rumsfeld whisked away on arrival in Adelaide(Australia)

[cal04]

Security is tight in Adelaide for the annual Australia-United States ministerial meeting. United Strates Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick have arrived aboard US Air Force Three.

They were whisked away across the tarmac. Mr Rumsfeld then paid a visit to the South Australian Museum ahead of tomorrow's talks with Australia's foreign and defence ministers in Adelaide. The South Australian Democrats is urging the large contingent of police officers involved in Mr Rumsfeld's visit to keep a low profile.

SA Democrats leader Sandra Kanck says protests organised for State Parliament this afternoon will be peaceful and police should show restraint. "I'd just remind the police that the organisers of today's rally are the same people who organised the anti-war rally two years ago and there were no incidents," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1508854.htm

[Captain Hilts]

1. How embarrassing. A United Statesian avoiding Australians.

A real contrast to the time Eleanor Roosevelt visited during WWII with massive - FRIENDLY - crowds.

[annabanana]

2. Amazing isn't it..

I would never have predicted this pretty pass in a million years.

[Andrushka]

3. Rally still on, but arrests loom

Most likely as I write. This war criminal goes about talking about "freedoms" and the Australian government states that a protest in front of the state parliament is "illegal". Dissent being quashed in Aus...what the fuck is happening to my country. Fuck you Howard.

(exsqueeze my French, but I am majorly pissed at this)

Edit: Rally at 4:30pm local time in front of, or "as close to as possible" (King William St. and North Terrace) parliament house. Get out there Adelaide!!

[swimboy]

6. It's all right, man. We're pissed too.

I'm sorry.

[chat_noir]

4. Australia: Nationwide protests against war in Iraq - 2002 and 2003

Australian protests have happened before. Somewhere there is an article where the Australian government shielded Bush from seeing huge protest crowds.


Australia: Nationwide protests against war in Iraq

4 December 2002
Despite a lack of any publicity in the media, thousands of people, many of them young, took part in protests across Australia last weekend against the impending US-led war against Iraq. The size and national scope of the demonstrations provide another indication of growing anti-war sentiment among broad layers of ordinary people.

The largest demonstration took place in Sydney on November 30, where an estimated 14,000 people—more than double recent anti-war rallies in the city—marched from the town hall to Hyde Park. Among the range of banners and placards carried were those declaring, “Weapons inspections—Inspect weapons in the USA”, “Regime change—Start with the regime in the US and Australia”, “Weapons of mass destruction—the most destructive weapons are Bush and Howard” and “No Blood for Oil”.

Simultaneous rallies were held in the Tasmanian capital Hobart, the Queensland city of Ipswich and the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs. More than 1,500 protested in Adelaide, the South Australia state capital, and over 500 rallied outside the US embassy in the national capital Canberra. The next day, some 6,000 turned out in Melbourne for a march through the city centre to Treasury Gardens. Protests were also held in the Northern Territory capital Darwin and Brisbane, the Queensland capital, and a rally is planned next weekend in Perth, Western Australia.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/dec2002/prot-d04.shtml

Protests across Australia against war

April 14 2003

Ten thousand Sydney protesters returned to the streets to demand an end to the Iraq war - and this time they earned praise from police.

The Palm Sunday Peace March started with an ecumenical church service in Belmore Park before a street march to The Domain where activists urged people to maintain their opposition to the war,.

Former intelligence officer Andrew Wilkie, who quit his job at the Office of National Assessments in protest at the government's pro-war policy, told the rally that the invasion of Iraq had fuelled hatred in the Middle East against the West.

"There will be a terrorist backlash and we are now that bit closer to the so-called clash of civilisations," he told thousands of peace protesters in The Domain.

"The Government said there is no increased threat of terrorism to Australia - what rot."

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/13/1050172471571.html

[Up2Late]

5. I wonder if they are worried he'll be arrested and whisked away to

...the Hague?

That's where he should go IMHO.

[Andrushka]

7. Update via Indymedia

Apparently the Speaker of the House in SA gave the go-ahead for protests at the Parliament, according to a statement from the 'Rice Rumsfeld Reception Committee'. Thank God for that, at least.