Sydney, protesters reach agreement with police

August 29, 2005

Organisers of the 30A Protest, planned to coincide with this weeks Forbes Global CEO Conference, have reached an agreement with police about how the protest should proceed. The 30A Network has received permission to use the Customs Square area of Circular Quay.

"After weeks of discussion and stalling, police have now given assurances that, while the Opera House forecourt will remain an exclusion zone between the CEOs and the real world, the 30A carnival protest will be facilitated at Customs Square," said the 30A Network website.

The plans for the mass gathering were thrown into turmoil over the last few weeks when police refused permission for the protest to occur near the Opera House, and declared the entire Opera House forecourt to be off-limits for the duration of the conference.

The protest organisers have said that they are hoping for a "carnival atmosphere", and look forward to working peacefully with the police. "Assurances have been given that truck, stage, music and speeches - not to mention drumming, dancing and protest - will not be prevented from going ahead as planned in the square directly outside Customs House at Circular Quay," the website said.

"We want a safe community action showing that people in Sydney oppose Howard¹s plan for a US-style wages system, the war in Iraq and his kow-towing to global corporate chiefs. We pose no threat to the Opera House or the millionaire delegates, or to other users of east Circular Quay," said 30A spokesman Bruce Knobloch.

The conference will take place at the Sydney Opera House, and will be attended by hundreds of CEOs from around the world, as well as Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Steve Forbes himself.

Protest organisers have called for people to assemble at Customs Square at Circular Quay at 5pm on Tuesday 30 August.