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Australia

In reply to the discussion: The Opera House debacle [View all]

Matilda

(6,384 posts)
6. Protesters shine torches on Opera House sails
Tue Oct 9, 2018, 09:05 PM
Oct 2018

About 2,000 people protested last night at the Opera House, as barrier numbers for the Everest horse race were beamed on to the sails of the Opera House. The light wasn't enough to block the numbers of course, but the presence of so many people turned the event into a travesty, as protesters chanted "Not for sale" and "Whose House? Our House".

"A sizeable police presence patrolled on land and water, while riot officers cordoned off some areas closer to the water.

"The protest was mostly good-spirited, though. When the sails finally lit up at about 7.40pm the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos, chanting “not a fucking billboard”, “boring” and “the graphics are shit”.

"The projection lasted about half-an-hour and ended to a raucous round of cheers and more chants of “we love you Louise” – a reference to Opera House chief Louise Herron, who opposed the display."

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/09/sydney-opera-house-racing-ad-disrupted-as-protesters-shine-torches-on-sails


The petition against the commercial use of the sails closed with over 311,000 signatures, quite extraordinary for this country.

This week's events have drawn attention to the fact that we are sick of politicians ruling for corporate interests. It's brought to the fore a strong feeling that it's time our pollies started listening to the people, and governing in our interests.

And I hope the rage spreads to other countries where the same political mindset prevails.









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