A call for shared intent against the violence of APEC

By request, here is a collation of some of the things I think the cops are up to for APEC. The event is going to be a testing ground for police-state and martial law methods. Public opinion is being conditioned to accept draconian police powers and the internal use of the military against civilians. I suspect that the summit and its fall out are going to further reify a general acceptance of martial law and police brutality.

Nb – this is primarily a cut and paste from trusted sources. I don’t consider it “my work” and some may be outdated or wrong.

APEC POWERS BILL

Definitely worth a look as a start point .Unprecedented police powers, w/ an explicit emphasis on lack of transparency and vague guidelines through which the police may operate. Details the exclusion zones power, stop and search power and the “black list” for known trouble makers, which I understand to be an entirely arbitrary and malleable list.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ampa2007252/

EXCLUSION ZONES AND THE FENCE

One of the “declared zones” will cover almost the entire central business district of Sydney, bounded by Macquarie Street, King Street, George Street and Circular Quay.

Three inner-city train stations, St James, Museum and Circular Quay, will be shut for three days. Another “security triangle” will blanket harbourside areas, with its three points being the Opera House, Government House and the Darling Harbour convention centre. Road routes to the airport, some 8 km from the centre, will constitute another “declared zone”. Police refuse to say which streets the 2.8-metre (9ft) reinforced concrete fence will occupy but it is understood work will commence around the Hotel Inter-Continental at the corner of Bridge and Macquarie Sts.

As yet unspecified, “lock-down” zones will be completely off limits to the public. These are likely to surround all meeting venues and hotel locations. Many hundreds of police, including riot and counter-terrorism units armed with shields and automatic weapons, are expected to be deployed to enforce the “lock-down” zones and block any anti-APEC demonstrations.

Anyone considered “suspicious” will be arrested and detained. “Known troublemakers” will also be denied access to restricted zones, to avoid any “embarrassment” to dignitaries.

While residents and some visitors will be allowed to enter the zones for legitimate business (ie, they live there, work there, or need to buy Armani), they will be under constant surveillance by counter-terrorism police and ASIO. The APEC Police Powers give cops the right to detain any person until ID and proof of address are verified, and remove them if they happen to think you are an activist or a protester.

FOREIGN SECURITY, ARMY SAS, ASIO AND FEDS

More than 4,000 troops including SAS troops, police, federal agents and private security guards will be deployed in the city centre

Government and military authorities will mobilise hundreds of military personnel. Any alleged threat to the APEC participants, whether a supposed terrorist plot or political protest, could see the SAS Tactical Assault Group called out onto the streets.

During an APEC security display at Sydney’s Holsworthy Barracks last December, SAS troops with high-powered machine guns and wearing gas masks stormed buildings and took aim at targets. Photos from the display on-line at the Department of Defence Media Room show SAS troops breaking down doors of homes and pointing weapons at the camera. (http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2006/Dec/20061213.cfm)

Last year’s changes to the Defence Act gave ADF personnel extraordinary domestic powers, including to interrogate civilians and seize documents. Troops now have legally protected rights to use lethal force, including to shoot down passenger aircraft. In the event of civilian deaths or injuries, a new defence of “superior orders” protects soldiers, except if the orders were “manifestly unlawful”.

The prime minister acting alone can now order soldiers onto the streets, if he thinks “critical infrastructure” or a “Commonwealth interest” is threatened by undefined “domestic violence”. The government can also give the Chief of the Armed Forces standing orders to activate the military whenever he thinks it necessary.

No callout order need be in writing. Nor does any notice have to be given to the public or parliament. Thus, ordinary people may be confronted by troops on the streets, or on their doorstep, without knowing that a call-out has been ordered. Moreover, few people know about these powers, because last year’s amendments were passed with the Labor Party’s support with virtually no debate.

Further legislation will be introduced to permit foreign government security agencies to carry weapons and enforce their own security arrangements against residents. Special permissions have already been given to the US Secret Service.

Many hundreds of police, including riot and counter-terrorism units armed with shields and automatic weapons, are expected to be deployed to enforce the “lock-down” zones and block any anti-APEC demonstrations.

Australia's military will patrol "no-fly" skies above the summit with fighters and helicopters. On the ground and at sea around 1,500 troops and elite commandos will bolster security. The public is being conditioned to accept an ever-wider use of the military against civilians. More police-military exercises are being staged in the lead-up to the APEC summit, including a current fortnight-long operation codenamed Blue Luminary 2.

Since 2002, the federal and state governments have combined to impose a raft of measures that would have been previously unimaginable, such as detention without trial, the outlawing of selected political groups, semi-secret trials and far-reaching sedition laws.

PHONE JAMMING – FACT OR FICTION?

There is a possibility that mobile phone calls will be blocked in central Sydney whenever Bush’s motorcade passes through the city. According to the Terrorgraph, a chopper with signals and mobile phone jamming equipment will hover above Bush’s procession, supposedly to prevent remote control bomb attacks, blocking mobile reception around it in an area the size of a football field.

Calls would most likely be blocked by the helicopter sending out a signal that would "saturate" all mobile devices in the area, according to Jeff Kasparian ( Mobile technology expert, Uni SA). Kasparian dispells the practicality of outgoing calls being allowed, but incoming ones being blocked. However, even if security officials only tried to jam incoming calls, there was a "99 percent" likelihood outgoing calls would be affected too, said Kasparian. "I would think it's highly likely that they're just going to disrupt all mobile communications in the area," he said.

Mobile phone jamming is illegal in Australia, although the government has said the security requirements of APEC means some exceptions might be made.

APEC organizers are now saying the mobile jamming story is a rumour – hard to say really. Maybe it is/ maybe they don’t want to take responsibility for blocking emergency calls but are doin it anyway…

Whether or not phones are blocked (and I think it likely they will be) it is of note that all phones w/in the area will be monitored. You are being watched.

THE WATER CANNON AND THE MOBILE CELLS
(My personal favourite given the proven capacity for police to cause permanent eye damage using these toys)

Police have bought a $600,000 water cannon and more than 30 buses will be used as mobile detention cells.

Police have finally taken possession of a $600,000 water cannon promised 15 months ago by the Premier for the riot squad, but officers are yet to learn how to use it.

Although it has previously been tested by riot squad officers, it is yet to be fully trialed.

The water cannon was "purpose-built" in Australia using a water system mechanism imported from the US. The specifications were based in part on water cannons used in Northern Ireland.

Oh yeah, and they’ve converted 31 State Transit buses to “mobile holding cells” for the event.

TASERS AND PEPPER SPRAY
Cops are saying they're not going to use tasers for APEC... but maybe for individuals who happen to be at APEC, so I'd count it as a possibility. Pepper spray is a given.

SURVEILLANCE

Over 300 new high-definition surveillance cameras have been installed on Sydney's transport network for APEC but only some will be monitored live. Main railway stations have been upgraded to "facial-recognition" technology, which the Transport Minister, John Watkins, described as "London-style CCTV … which was of such good use after recent incidents there". Two hundred have been installed on the rail network and 115 on buses, ferries and wharves, he said, bringing the total on the public transport system to more than 6500.

They have a 24/7 monitoring station. The technology all up cost $34 million.