TheeBadOne
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Heckled Dubya 'loves free speech'
Canberra - Two senators opposed to the United States-led invasion of Iraq heckled the American president when he spoke to Australia's parliament on Thursday, but George Bush shrugged it off, smiled, and won applause by saying: "I love free speech."
Both minority Green Party lawmakers, senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle, were ordered out of the chamber, but refused to leave.
The son of a terrorism suspect being held by US authorities at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was removed from the public gallery.
Brown was the first to interrupt Bush, as the president said people should be happy that Saddam Hussein's regime had been toppled in Iraq.
When a parliamentary official motioned for Brown to leave, he shook his head and sat down.
When Bush paid tribute to Australia for promoting peace in south-east Asia, Brown shouted: "But we are not a sheriff."
It was a reference to Bush's recent comment that Australia was a lawman in the war on terrorism.
The comment apparently was intended to portray Australia as being on equal footing with the US. Instead, it reinforced sentiment among some Asian nations that Australia was an agent for the Bush administration.
When Nettle shouted protests about the war in Iraq, Bush sipped water, smiled broadly and said: "I love free speech" to applause from government lawmakers.
Many members of the main opposition Labour Party share Brown and Nettle's anti-invasion sentiments but had been ordered by leader Simon Crean to behave during the speech.
Some legislators made a muted protest by remaining seated during a standing ovation at the end of the speech.
Earlier, 41 opposition lawmakers signed a letter criticising Bush's decision to invade, saying it had been conducted on the basis of a clear and present danger in Iraq that didn't exist.
The son of Australian terrorism suspect Mamdouh Habib was ejected from the public gallery, though it wasn't clear what the son, an invited guest of the Green Party, had done to get thrown out.
Habib is being held without charge at the US base in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of training with al-Qaeda.
As Bush arrived, his entourage was greeted by several thousand noisy demonstrators, banging drums and carrying signs that said: "Bush Go Home," "Go back to Texas" and "Osama bin Bush." Police held the surging protesters about 100m away from where Bush entered the building.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush had been warned by Australian Prime Minister John Howard to expect some heckling by anti-war lawmakers, adding that Brown later thanked Bush for listening to his protest.
"That's the Australian parliament for you," McClellan said, adding that Bush had felt warmly received.
Later thousands of protesters marched to the US Embassy and a few scuffled with police as they tried to break through security barriers.
There was no immediate word on arrests.
The protesters then marched to Howard's official residence, where the prime minister was hosting a barbecue for Bush.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=2813&click_id=2813&art_id=vn20031023145245813C933343&set_id=6
Canberra - Two senators opposed to the United States-led invasion of Iraq heckled the American president when he spoke to Australia's parliament on Thursday, but George Bush shrugged it off, smiled, and won applause by saying: "I love free speech."
Both minority Green Party lawmakers, senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle, were ordered out of the chamber, but refused to leave.
The son of a terrorism suspect being held by US authorities at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was removed from the public gallery.
Brown was the first to interrupt Bush, as the president said people should be happy that Saddam Hussein's regime had been toppled in Iraq.
When a parliamentary official motioned for Brown to leave, he shook his head and sat down.
When Bush paid tribute to Australia for promoting peace in south-east Asia, Brown shouted: "But we are not a sheriff."
It was a reference to Bush's recent comment that Australia was a lawman in the war on terrorism.
The comment apparently was intended to portray Australia as being on equal footing with the US. Instead, it reinforced sentiment among some Asian nations that Australia was an agent for the Bush administration.
When Nettle shouted protests about the war in Iraq, Bush sipped water, smiled broadly and said: "I love free speech" to applause from government lawmakers.
Many members of the main opposition Labour Party share Brown and Nettle's anti-invasion sentiments but had been ordered by leader Simon Crean to behave during the speech.
Some legislators made a muted protest by remaining seated during a standing ovation at the end of the speech.
Earlier, 41 opposition lawmakers signed a letter criticising Bush's decision to invade, saying it had been conducted on the basis of a clear and present danger in Iraq that didn't exist.
The son of Australian terrorism suspect Mamdouh Habib was ejected from the public gallery, though it wasn't clear what the son, an invited guest of the Green Party, had done to get thrown out.
Habib is being held without charge at the US base in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of training with al-Qaeda.
As Bush arrived, his entourage was greeted by several thousand noisy demonstrators, banging drums and carrying signs that said: "Bush Go Home," "Go back to Texas" and "Osama bin Bush." Police held the surging protesters about 100m away from where Bush entered the building.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush had been warned by Australian Prime Minister John Howard to expect some heckling by anti-war lawmakers, adding that Brown later thanked Bush for listening to his protest.
"That's the Australian parliament for you," McClellan said, adding that Bush had felt warmly received.
Later thousands of protesters marched to the US Embassy and a few scuffled with police as they tried to break through security barriers.
There was no immediate word on arrests.
The protesters then marched to Howard's official residence, where the prime minister was hosting a barbecue for Bush.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=2813&click_id=2813&art_id=vn20031023145245813C933343&set_id=6
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