[NYTr] Bums not bombs, Bush will be told

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by Dave Muller southnews)

AFP - Sep 5, 2007


Bums not bombs, Bush will be told

Agence France-Presse

A GAME group of anti-war protesters are planning a cheeky protest 
against a visit by US President George W. Bush - baring their bottoms
in what they hope will be a world-record moon.

Organiser Will Saunders said the Friday protest was aimed at lightening 
the mood in Sydney, a city patrolled by 5000 police and soldiers and 
divided by a massive steel and concrete fence ahead of the APEC summit.

Police have said they expect violence during a series of protests 
against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit which will gather 
together 21 leaders from around the world.

"There's this heaviness about the protests,'' Mr Saunders said.

"It's hoped to make the point that protests don't have to be these 
terribly heavy serious things.''

The "Bums Not Bombs'' group will particularly target Mr Bush, whose 
unpopular war in Iraq has been strongly backed by Australian Prime 
Minister John Howard.

The visits by the world leaders have resulted in road blocks, changes
to public transport, and other disruptions in Australia's biggest city.

The protest will take place on Friday in Sydney's Hyde Park, close to 
where the leaders will be meeting.

In a leaflet to possible supporters, the group calls for 4000 cheeks - 
er, 2000 people - to "tell Bush what we really think about his visit.''

Mr Saunders said numbers for the protest were not yet certain but he
had a core group to perform a "21-Bum Salute'' to represent each of the 
countries in the grouping.

"I think there's certain to be hundreds of people,'' said Mr Saunders, 
who previously attracted media attention when he and another man
painted "No War'' on the Sydney Opera House in huge, bright red letters
on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The group said it needed 4000 cheeks to break the previous world record 
moon.

"This is one APEC protest we can all enjoy,'' it said.

Mr Bush himself seemed unworried about any of the protests.

"People feel like they want to protest - fine, they can,'' he said
today.