http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=139469&y=2002&m=4
The Canberra Times
April 6, 2002
Explain curb on protesters: MLA
By NICK GENTLE
The order preventing protesters outside the Chinese Embassy from
exhibiting any banners or making noise in support of the Falun
Gong movement set a dangerous precedent and needed to be
explained to Australian people, Greens MLA Kerrie Tucker said
yesterday.
Ms Tucker was speaking after attending a protest at which police
confiscated from her a banner emblazoned with the Falun Gong
motto of "truthfulness, forebearance and compassion", while
allowing another banner, from Amnesty International, to remain
standing.
"I'm not bagging the police here," Ms Tucker said. "They are put in
a difficult situation and they have to do their job.
"This is an extraordinary situation and [Foreign Minister] Alexander
Downer needs to explain himself to the Australian community.
"Why is he prepared to deny citizens the right to protest on this
matter?"
Mr Downer had imposed a 30-day order on March 16, shortly
before the arrival of Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, under
diplomatic privileges and immunities regulations calling for the
removal of banners and "implements used to make amplified noise"
at protests conducted by the Falun Gong movement.
Mr Downer's office has said the order was made to protect the
security and dignity of staff at the embassy, who had been
unsettled by the nine-month long protest.
But Ms Tucker said there had been much rowdier, confrontational,
and no doubt unsettling protests outside the South African,
Indonesian and French Embassies in the past, and they had not
attracted a similar ban.
"Why is it this embassy is so different from every other embassy in
Canberra where we have the right to protest about any issue of
concern?
"It's a very serious precedent that has been set here," Ms Tucker
said, "and Mr Downer needs to be accountable for it."
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