Protest or not Protest

[Culprit]

I am quite amused by the Government and spin doctors saying please don’t protest. I also have a chuckle when Neil Mitchell suggests it’s wrong to protest. This comes from a guy who protested against the Vietnam War.

I have no problems with people protesting and despite the one way traffic in the media pushing that every protester is an anarchist and only interested in violence, all I can say is if you are passionate enough go out and protest as many people in our country cannot.

Having been involved in many protests confrontation is pushed by all sides in the minority as many Police just love beating heads. Politicians and media then push their agenda and then we have protesters push that they were attacked harshly and now with video mobile phones the truth comes out.

Screw Dubya and APEC, it’s a waste of tax payer’s money and simply should not be held. Protest away as far as I am concerned.

Would you protest? Let us know your view.

[stui magpie]

I've never been in a protest. I'd have to feel really strongly personally about an issue to do it.

I have no problem at all with peaceful protests and I'm sure the majority of people that go are there to demonstrate their point of view but IMO too many violent radicals shangai these economic protests these days and make it unsafe for everyone.

Why should shop owners have their property damaged in the name of protest? Why should Police have to stand there while masked cretins throw things at them and destroy property?

IMO, if you want to protest peacefully, that is your right in a democracy and you should be able to do it unhindered.

If, however, individuals cross the line and behave unlawfully, destroy property and physically attack Police, then they should not be able to sue for damages if/when they (deservedly) get smacked around a bit.

[Syd_Magpies_Girl]

Two of my friends are going to this protest on Friday. Pretty much because we have the shits that they could of held this in a remote location, instead of ruining business for hundreds of companies in the city. We had our cameras confiscated last night for trying to take a photo of a building with this great big giant fence around it.

This talk about all of the protesters going to there to be violent is also a load of tripe. The people who started the violence at the other summit in Melbourne last year were not part of the protest group, and as usual, it's always a group of trouble makers that ruin it for everyone else.

Another thing that annoys me about APEC is the millions of dollars that is being spent on protecting foreign ministers. If our country was so much in threat of a terrorist attack, why the hell couldn't this government have the decency to spend this wasted money on bigger issues for the people who actually pay the f***ing taxes!!!!

[David]

What are they protesting about again?

[Syd_Magpies_Girl]

Climate Change, Poverty, Workplace Relation Laws, Greed, Corruption etc.

To be honest, they are wasting their breath with this protest, but I think John Howard has been provoking these people for a while, especially with his comments in the media over the last few days. He's trying to win votes, but he went out of his way to insult the organisers and called them a bunch of thugs.

I'm encouraging myself to go and watch because I'm keen to see some of these people get flogged with the water canons. No doubt, some idiots, and some wanker cops will have a go at each other, then there will be fists flying. At the same time, this has been a massive beat up by the media.

I was at a friends house in the city the other night (he lives in Guy Sebastians apartment building actually, hehe), I'm sitting on the lounge in my underwear, watch telly, glass of wine in hand, not sitting very lady like. Next minute, we hear helicopters, and then all of a sudden, these Feds are abseiling down the side of the building, stop and stare at me. Give us the thumbs up, and keep abseiling down the side of the building. Biggest laugh, but embarassing at the same time. Everytime I've stayed at his place the last 6 months, I hear helicopters and feds doing training exercises every night.

[stui magpie]

Would have been an interesting incident report if one of them got so distracted he lost his grip.

[Dark Lord]

I have no problem with peaceful protesting.

However, the rent-a-thug scumbags who turn up to these events are a disgrace. A damn good thrashing from the constabulary is what they need, but unfortunately the judiciary seem to be on their side.

[Alec. J. Hidell]

If we truly live in a Democracy then protesting is the right of each and everyone of us.

Let's have more of it I say

[Syd_Magpies_Girl]

w3rd

We are entitled to free speech, and to protest, the government and the police just have a funny way of letting us do so

[HAL]

I think there might be a few exception.

[Dark Lord]

We have a right to peaceful protest. But the groups who organize these riots, sorry, protests, have no peaceful intentions.

[Syd_Magpies_Girl]

I have mutual friends through some of the people organising this, and their intentions are for a peaceful protest, which I support. Like I said before, it's people that go in and ruin it for everyone else. I feel sorry for the people organising it, because they've put a lot of their own time into it, and they are being blamed by the media and some members of the public as those being responsible for violence. That's not what it's all about.

[~Madness~]

[John Wren]

[Syd_Magpies_Girl]