active_apathy

This city tolerates your faction no longer. Abandon it or die.

The above comes from a roleplaying setting; the Lady of Pain delivers that edict toward the end of one of the modules for Planescape. And while it may seem a little extreme, that's how Her Serenity tends to operate.

Morris Iemma's papal bull, on the other hand, isn't how government here is supposed to operate. The city a few hours down the road no longer tolerates my faction, where my faction's ills would be having an opinion. Would be dissenting. Would be handing out free contraception to tens of thousands of youths half a world away from home.

That city tolerates my faction no longer; and, while this isn't exactly the newest of news, it's still a bitter disappointment.

The particular behaviour they intend to crack down on is the incredibly nebulous and wantonly criminal act of... causing annoyance or inconvenience.

Causing annoyance or inconvenience.

Causing. Annoyance. Or. Inconvenience.

Suffice to say, I'm somewhat outraged by this. Actual spelled-out outrage at it has been done already in many places, and I don't much feel the need to reiterate much of it; instead, I'm given to wondering if they've really thought it through.

Consider: So-called "Chaser-like stunts" aren't allowed under the WYD police powers. They attract the same fine as such other heinous acts as wearing a t-shirt with a message on it. The same fine as playing music that might bother WYD pilgrims. The same fine as- well, really, anything could annoy or inconvenience thousands of people flooding into an unfamiliar city for a large-scale event.

Which means that if you're being searched, if you're being fined $5500, if you're being summarily convicted and fined for - let's just out and say it, not being Catholic - then minor, quiet forms of protest become somewhat less likely. Why be quiet and peaceful when the consequences of being quiet and peaceful are just as bad as the consequences of doing something a little more... conspicuous?

Some would expect that adding draconian regulations would make for hushed, quiet protesters, with their opinions and values quietly hidden away like the Olympic homeless. And, to borrow a link... I'm given to doubting that, because taking away the right to protest has worked so well for Sydney before.

They tolerate my faction no longer - and over the next week, I'd like to see my faction do its level best to not tolerate such draconian restrictions. I'd like there to be the free condoms, the kiss-in, and whatever other ordinarily-lawful protests might take place. I'd like to see some kind of creative, brilliant, and annoyingly-inconvenient stunt happen, something to make it clear just what we think of not being allowed to make our thoughts clear.

And so long as I'm making a wishlist, a few thousand fake pilgrims turning up at Randwick on Thursday to turn their backs on Pope Sidious would also be pretty neat. T-shirts and messages optional.