The civil liberties of the people of Perth are under heavy threat as excessive policing marks the lead-up to CHOGM, the gathering of Commonwealth heavies in the WA capital at the end of October. Australia must demonstrate by its actions that it believes in democracy and the right to protest, CLA’s Rex Widerstrom says
Police bans break Premier’s pledge
WA Premier Colin Barnett’s pledge that people would be free to protest at CHOGM unless they broke the law has been exposed as PR spin, if not a complete fabrication, says Civil Liberties Australia.
People have been raided, and banned from the CBD, in direct contradiction to what Mr Barnett promised, CLA said.
“The raids by police on citizens who’ve broken no law, banning them from the CBD during CHOGM, shows Mr Barnett and his Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan never had any intention of countenancing lawful, peaceful protest, despite the Premier’s reassurance to the contrary,” says CLA WA spokesperson Rex Widerstrom.
“One of those banned is disabled, and claims to have no criminal record. Another was, ironically, working on staging for CHOGM when told he had to abandon his work site. He has since been charged with an offence. How is stopping this man – and his employer – from going about their lawful business justifiable?” Mr Widerstrom asked.
“The test for issuing a ban is that the person must be ‘a serious threat to the safety of persons or property in a CHOGM Security Area’. I’d be interested to hear Mr O’Callaghan explain how a 56-year-old disabled man with no criminal record meets that test. It’s a valid question – and one which I invite the affected gentleman to test in court by way of seeking an urgent judicial review.
“But most worrying of all is the man served with the notice while staying with friends. How did police even know where to find him? Are WA citizens who’ve broken no law and who are not suspected of having committed a serious crime being subject to covert surveillance?” Mr Widerstrom asked.
“Police refuse to discuss their tactics due to ‘operational reasons’. But someone has to answer for why a public pledge has been broken, shattered.
“There is no justification for police pre-emptively removing the right of people to peacefully protest, when the Premier had promised people would be free to lawfully protest at CHOGM.
“The Premier has repeatedly said that he acknowledges people have a right to lawful protest and that his government would respect that right provided no laws were broken. The Premier’s words have been turned into a lie by the latest actions of the WA Police.
“Mr Barnett must now re-state clearly whether the government supports the right of its citizens to lawfully assemble and peaceably protest.
“If it does, he must take immediate and decisive steps to rein in the WA Police. They are starting to act like they belong some of the Commonwealth’s more despotic regimes, where people do not enjoy the freedom to protest and dissent is suppressed, sometimes brutally.
“We cannot rely on Police Minister Ron Johnson, who characterises Opposition questioning of the suppression of basic freedoms as ‘mocking the police’.
“I doubt most West Australians think it is valid to have their right to express an opinion denied them in advance.
“CHOGM can only be a success in Perth if it displays Australia’s core values of a fair go and freedom to be yourself to the rest of the world,” Mr Widerstrom said. “Without that, we are lowering our standards to those of the rogue CHOGM states.”
Ends media release
Mr Widerstrom said police behaviour in the days before CHOGM officially began was over-the-top. “Cars were being put through a bottleneck just so police could peer into them and decide whose face didn’t fit.
“This was going on kilometres from where CHOGM will be held, but on the road to the airport and to thousands of businesses and private homes.
“There’s an oppressive air descending on the city, just as the government is desperately trying to distract people with silly little concerts and the like, miles from where CHOGM actually is.
“I fear for what will happen if there are protests. The over-reaction of police in the eastern states to the ‘Occupy’ protests could be a pale forerunner of what could happen in Perth if the WA Police aren’t made aware the eyes of the world are on them.
“Australia must demonstrate by its actions that it believes in democracy and the right to protest, rather than show by excessive policing that civil liberties are being lost in Australia.
“The worry is that the CHOGM bigwigs, some with dubious human rights records, are being pandered to, while Perth people are just pawns to be moved around at the will of police.”
ENDS
Refer: The West news story