Wearing T-shirts
that read ''Pope go homo'' and ''The pope is wrong, put
a condom on!'', a dozen demonstrators poked fun Wednesday in
Sydney at a new Australian law meant to protect
participants of next week's World Youth Day from being
"annoyed" by opponents. The new rules, which critics
have panned as a form of censorship, give authorities
the power to order anyone to stop behavior that ''causes
annoyance or inconvenience'' to the 250,000 pilgrims
expected in Sydney for the Roman Catholic festival
being held July 15-20.
Anyone who
doesn't comply could face a fine of $5,300.
The law will
apply in dozens of areas of downtown Sydney -- including the
city's landmark opera house, train stations, and city parks
-- that are designated venues for World Youth Day,
which will culminate in a papal mass.
Police and the
New South Wales state government say they are a necessary
security measure. Libertarians and rights activists
disagree.
''These annoyance
laws are outrageous,'' said Rachel Evans, a spokeswoman
for the NoToPope Coalition that helped organize Wednesday's
protest.
The coalition,
made up of gay rights, student, and atheist groups, is
planning a July 19 march to protest what it calls the pope's
homophobic and antiquated ideas. The group is also
planning to distribute condoms to young pilgrims and
speak with them about human rights issues.
The Roman
Catholic Church bans the use of condoms and other forms of
artificial birth control, another point of irritation for
protesters at Wednesday's gathering, dubbed the
"annoying protest."
''What's evil
about latex?'' Evans yelled into a bullhorn as pedestrians
wandered past, a few pausing briefly to stare. ''I don't
know! And we don't know here at the annoying fashion
show!''
Demonstrator
Colin Charlton gleefully held up a series of T-shirts, one
bearing a picture of the pope's face surrounded by the words
''We put it on down under,'' another reading ''This
T-shirt is annoying,'' followed by the names of
several government officials.
To Charlton the
annoyance law is just another in a string of poor
decisions by Australia's leaders.
''They can't get
anything right, this government,'' said Charlton, 57, of
Sydney. ''If they'd have shut up, there would have been a
little [demonstration] Saturday week of a few people.
Now there's gonna be thousands, because Sydney-siders
are saying we want to keep our rights, which are being
eroded away.''
Danny Casey,
chief operating officer of World Youth Day, told reporters
Tuesday that officials are not concerned about the planned
protests.
''Protesters tend
to make a lot more noise prior to the event than they
do during the event,'' he said. ''World Youth Day will be a
wonderful celebration; there will be enormous joy
flowing through the city. People are free to protest.
We believe in free speech -- we practice it ourselves
-- so we don't have any particular concerns about
disrupting the event.''
Eden Bates,
wearing a hot-pink wig, a matching ''There is NO GOD'' tank
top, and fluffy white boa, bounced up and down, clapping and
chanting as a tour bus ambled by. He caught the
attention of one passenger, who gave a small wave.
''We want to
express ourselves and what we've got to say has to be heard,
I believe,'' Bates said. ''It's OK for the Catholics to
celebrate their day, but there's another side to the
story, and it has to be told.'' (Kristen Gelineau,
AP)
