CANBERRA, 23 October 2003 — Anti-US protesters took to the streets of Australia’s main cities yesterday in carnival-like demonstrations ahead of a visit by US President George W. Bush to thank the country for its help in the war on terror.
Australia, seeking to balance Asian and Western interests, is also playing host to Chinese President Hu Jintao, who like Bush is coming from a summit of Asia-Pacific nations in Bangkok.
Rappers sang anti-American songs from the back of a truck in Sydney as some demonstrators donned rubber masks bearing the likenesses of Bush and Prime Minister John Howard to dance in the street.
Bush arrived in Canberra yesterday evening on his first trip to Australia.
Protest organizers were hoping for a repeat of the anti-war protests in February, when more than 200,000 people took to Sydney’s streets ahead of the US-led invasion on Iraq. But there were fewer than 1,000 in Sydney, and less than 200 in Melbourne.
“Hey Bush, we’re not cattle and this is not your ranch,” read one demonstrator’s placard. Another sign read: “Bush, you self-righteous liar,” and a third simply said: “Bush-off!”. The protests were due to culminate in a mass rally in the national capital Canberra today when Bush is scheduled to address a joint session of Parliament and visit the Australian War Memorial.
In an unprecedented security operation, authorities have closed Parliament to the public and encircled the hilltop building with crowd control barriers to keep protesters away. Fighter jets with orders to shoot down any unauthorized planes will patrol the city’s skies during the 20-hour visit, which finishes Bush’s six-nation Asian tour.
Some opposition politicians plan to wear white armbands during Bush’s parliamentary address to show opposition to the Iraq war.