CANBERRA, Oct 23: Thousands of anti-war protesters calling on US President George Bush to return home held a sometimes violent demonstration on Thursday, as the American leader defended his “war on terror” to Australia’s parliament.
At least three people were arrested, witnesses said. As the protest threatened to get out of hand, metal poles were thrown and security netting around the US embassy breached, amid a heavy police presence.
A man was tackled to the ground by police as he tried to approach a venue where Mr Bush was having lunch with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and at least two others were led away, witnesses said.
Police condemned the violence and blamed it on hardliners in the crowd.
“The reality is we had unfortunately an element within that protest group that were extremely violent,” Superintendent Robert Gilliland told national radio.
“Our police officers came onto the situation, controlled it and ensured that the security of the president and the dignity of the visit was not interfered with.”
Chanting “Go home Bush” and “Warmongers Out Out Out”, around 5,000 protesters earlier stood outside the parliament building as Mr Bush defended his administration’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Slogans such as “Bush is an evil guy” and “Lying war heads” were daubed on posters.
The crowd applauded as protesters carried an effigy of Mr Bush followed closely by a dog wearing a mask of Howard, who strongly supported the war.
Andrew Wilkie, a former Australian intelligence officer who resigned in protest at the Iraq war, told the crowd both administrations were now tainted by “criminal behaviour”.
“Of course, all of Bush’s and Howard’s lies have turned out to be only the start of it because the whiff of criminal behaviour now hangs heavily over both of their administrations,” Wilkie said.
Wilkie has said Howard “sexed up” intelligence and misled the public over Iraq’s weapons capabilities.
During Mr Bush’s speech, two anti-war senators were ordered to leave the chamber for heckling, but refused to go.
Green party senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle have been among the most vociferous opponents of the war and were barred for 24 hours, meaning they will miss Friday’s address by Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“I love free speech,” Mr Bush quipped after the interruptions.
Also removed from the gallery was the son of one of two Australians held by the United States without charge in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Ahmed Habib, the 18-year-old son of detainee Mamdouh Habib, was expelled from the public gallery by security guards after standing up during the speech. He and his mother Maha were in the gallery as guests of the Greens.
Nettle attempted but failed to put a letter from Maha Habib into Mr Bush’s hand after the speech, while Brown shook the president’s hand.
“I said Mr Bush, this is Australia. Respect our nation. Return our Australian citizens from Guantanamo Bay. You respect the world’s laws, the world will respect you,” Brown said afterwards.
But their action was condemned by other anti-war politicians. “You cannot expect people to have respect for your views if you show such scant respect for anybody else,” said Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett.
Opposition leader Simon Crean told Mr Bush that his Labour party remained committed to the alliance and the war on terror, despite its opposition to the Iraq war. Other politicians made their protests silently by wearing white armbands or doves of peace. —AFP