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| ©Unknown |
| No to Pope protesters rally against expanded police powers for World Youth Day in front of NSW Parliament on July 9. |
The T-shirt protest which has marred World Youth Day preparations has gone bilingual.
One South Australian man of German heritage has decided to write T-shirt slogans, banners and posters in his native tongue to attract the attention of the German-speaking media.
The New South Wales Police Force has come under criticism for its anti-annoyance laws targeting opponents of World Youth Day (WYD).
Under the new laws, anyone accused of causing annoyance or inconvenience to WYD pilgrims can be fined and removed from the vicinity.
Protesters wearing t-shirts with 'offensive' logos may even be fined more than $5000.
But the South Australian man, identified only as Martin, told a church sex abuse victims group, Broken Rites, that most Police will be unaware of what signs in German actually mean.
Police 'won't understand German'
"It has occurred to me that hardly anyone in the New South Wales police force would be able to understand German," Martin says.
"However, the Pope - Herr Josef Ratzinger - understands German only too well, and the German news media that will undoubtedly be present will film everything that takes place. Whatever does take place will be seen all around the world, including in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and all German-speaking folks will be able to see it and understand it without any problem."
Martin, who claims he experienced mistreatment in German church institutions after the Second World War, says the German messages are a good way around the "annoying" anti-annoyance laws.
"In close cooperation with people in Germany, whose German is even better than mine, I have put together a list of hard-hitting but non-offensive slogans in the GERMAN language that could be used on banners, placards and T-shirts for consideration by protest organisations and T-shirt makers alike," Martin says.
"That is the one and only way to get the message out, to get the message across loud and clear and without hindrance and interference by anyone."
Apparently the Civil Libertarians had 'some' of the new powers taken off the list under the freedom of speech and expression acts. They argued that citizens have a fundamental right to peaceful demonstration and public assembly. People are allowed to peacefully protest, and no longer require prior consent from authority, however, any trouble makers or violent demonstrators will be charged under the full force of the law. I have seen many protesters rallying in the streets of Sydney with anti catholicism slogans. As long as they do not infringe on another persons civil rights, police cannot do anything but stand by.
Whilst the supporting catholics have their right to hold such an event, everyone else can reserve the right to protest such an event. Fair's fair...