Carr cops an anti-war message

BY
PIP HINMAN

SYDNEY — Protestors at the emergency rally on March 20 didn't miss
an opportunity to tell NSW Premier Bob Carr what they thought of his tame-cat
position on the Iraq war when they spotted his limousine stuck in traffic
near John Howard's office in the CBD.

About 20 protesters surrounded Carr's car shouting “No war!” and “No
'anti-terror' laws!”, managing to decorate his pristine white vehicle with
a spot of red. This was despite the ALP's ubiquitous “peace” placards dominating
the front of the march, in what many argued was a last ditch election stunt.

People have been angered by Carr's refusal to be drawn on the war during
the NSW election campaign beyond stating it was not a state issue. Meanwhile,
Carr has made law and order and anti-terror laws the central focus of his
re-election campaign.

Protestors were also reacting to Carr's response to a very popular protest
in which two imaginative protesters scaled Sydney's most famous icon —
the Opera House — to paint “No War” in red on the highest sail. Carr was
palpably angry after discovering his new “security” laws had failed and
pronounced that security would be tightened.

From Green Left Weekly, March 26, 2003.

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From GLW issue 531