Wednesday 16 July 2008

Free condoms

The people have won.

Protesters handed out condoms to Catholics in Sydney minutes after the court overturned a law yesterday, that aimed at stopping anyone from "annoying" them at World Youth Day!

The Australian Federal Court said the law passed by the New South Wales government for the next six day youth event, undermined free speech.

Simply for wearing a T-shirt with a "The Pope is Dodgy" on it, would have "annoying" and could have copped at $5,500 fine.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Just as long as Catholics can hand out rosaries to women attending abortion clinics, pacifists can hand out anti-war leaflets at military funerals and people opposed to male genital mutilation can peddle their propaganda outside synagogues.

The freedom to annoy should apply to all.

Incidentlally, we also have a right (and opportunity) to behave respectfully to each other, other cultures and belief systems.

Anyhow, it's good to see a court curb the Iemma Government's control-freakery.

Australia's capital cities seem to be in a competition to preen themselves as safe, secure, protest-free venues for visiting conferences, gatherings and other lucrative events.

Thanks to the clever folk at Wicked, Cairns can make its own pitch as an alternative venue - a conference destination with real edge.

Come to Cairns... we'll celebrate your event with a spate of utterly annoying, absolutely tasteless slogans on our tourist buses, parodying your nationality / ethnicity / profession etc and inviting observers to take pot shots at you and your kind.