Media Release 19 February 2007 Sydney Greets Cheney with a Carnival of the Damned US Vice President Dick Cheney, world renowned for his neo-con arrogance and war profiteering, will meet his nemesis when he arrives to address the Australian American Leadership Dialogue, an invitation-only event in the ballroom of Sydney's Sydney's Shangri-La Hotel next Friday 23 February 2007. Cheney's nemesis will take the form of a Carnival of the Damned by anti-war, Free Hicks protesters on the streets outside. "Skellies will dance, witches and wrathful deities will stomp, ghouls and demons will wail a welcome to Cheney," says the Carnival organiser, Captain Graeme Dunstan, operations manager for The Sydney Committee for Welcoming War Criminals. "Cheney, could if he wished, have Hicks home in a thrice," said Dunstan."But this man is not in Australia to talk peace and compassion: rather he is here to talk up more corporate piracy and war profiteering." The organisers are inviting Sydneysiders to take to get up and come out for David Hicks and join the street theatre. The slogans of the day will be: "Free David Hicks! Close Gunatanamo! Indict the War Criminals!" "Wear basic black, put on a skull mask, bring a drum and if you haven't got a drum, bring a pot and bang it'" Dunstan urges. "We want our street theatre to invite the vengeance of the dead upon Cheney's head and upon all who gather to kowtow to him." "We want to create an image of the torment that awaits him and his mates in the hell realms, a cacophony of sound and the dance macabre," he said. "We want Cheney to see and hear us and know without doubt that we see through his lies, see him for the heartless corporate pirate and war criminal that he is," said Dunstan. Lady Obeid added that she thought that an orange Bring Hicks Home Tshirt over black tights with death head mask would be appropriate attire for both ladies and gentlemen attending. "Bring a placard. Free skull masks and a black and white face paint would be available for costume making on the spot," she said. "Bags of blood optional." The Carnival of the Damned will assemble from 8 am Friday 23 February in Lang Park, which is bounded by Lang, Grosvenor and York Streets, The Rocks. Cheney's gig at the Shangri-la begins 9.30 am. This creative occupation of public place and public imagination is supported by the Stop the War Coalition, Sydney Bring Hicks Home campaigners and Peacebus.com. It complements the Stop the War Chain Up Cheney rally at the Sydney Town Hall from 5.30 am Thursday 22 Feb. Further information Captain Graeme Dunstan, Peacebus.com, 0407 951 688 Lady Marlene Obeid 0401 758 871 for The Sydney Committee for Welcoming War Criminals Skellie puppets at the 30A Forbes Global CEO Conference protests in Sydney 30 August 2005. Design and construction courtesy, Captain Graeme Dunstan, Peacebus.com Report on Police Liaison 11 am Tuesday 19 February 2007 This morning I met with Snr Sgt Andrew Lahey, one of the top negotiators of the NSW Police Service, and walked the site of our Cheney Carnival of the Damned action this Friday 23 Feb from 8 am. As expected the visit of the US Vice President is a huge security exercise which will involve hundreds of police on the ground, helicopters in the sky and a total lock down of the area around the Shangri-la Hotel which is on the corner of Essex and Cumberland Streets, The Rocks. Cheney and his war profiteering mates seem to live in fear of people like us. Thanks to the goodwill of Snr Sgt Lahey, an area has been secured for our protest action in Cumberland Street south. This is set back about 60 meters from the entrance to the Shangri-la. The towers of the Hotel will overlook us there and from there the entrance is visible although two security fences are to be installed between us and it. The west of Cumberland Street south is the 2.4 meter wall of the Harbour Bridge Express way, the east is an empty building site and a line of terraces. No cars will be permitted there, parked or otherwise, so our the area for our Carnival will be open and uncontested. The building site fence will serve to hold our banners and the wall will cause our drumming to reverberate. The police are okay about flag poles, PA and skellie masks. Cnr Cumberland and Essex Streets, our original proposed assembly area, will be within the lock down area. Police have suggested that the alternative assembly area be Lang Park, a pocket of green under a huge fig tree, bounded by Lang, Grosvenor and York Streets. This is closer to the protest area and police officers will supervise our crossing Grosvenor Street from there in batches. Grosvenor is a Harbour Bridge exit and, at that time of day, chokkers with traffic. Apropos masks, there is no objection to them being worn as part of our Carnival of the Damned performance but we are warned that people wanting to disguise themselves and attack the police a la G20 Melbourne last November, will be promptly removed from the crowd. Flag burning is a no-no too too though flag bloodying seems okay. Sgt Lahey said that if the crowd grows too big for the space they will restrict entrance of more. So come early. There are no toilets at hand or trees to hide behind. So come with empty bladders. So that our action will not be missed by the media, the Police Media Unit will include in their media of the day, directions to our Carnival. Thus the way is clear for a Cheney welcome which is artful and safe, and which creatively occupies both public place and public imagination. Let's make the most of it, folks. Bring David home! Close Guantanamo! Indict the War Criminals! In solidarity, Graeme Dunstan Operations Manager The Sydney Committee for Welcoming War Criminals 0407 951 688 PS. I will be on site setting up from 7 am on Friday 23rd. Anyone wanting to give hands on help will be much appreciated. Media Release 13 February 2007 Sydney Committee snubbed. War Criminal Hotline announced The Sydney Committee for Welcoming War Criminals is feeling snubbed that the US Vice President Dick Cheney has announced his visit to Sydney without first informing it. The Committee has learned that the US Vice President will be addressing the Australian American Leadership Dialogue, at an invitation-only event in the ballroom of Sydney's Shangri-La Hotel on Friday 23 February 2007. The Committee has not been invited but undeterred, it will organise a reception for him anyway. To be styled as a Carnival of the Damned, the reception will take place on the streets outside the Shangri-La while Cheney dialogues inside about leadership success in corporate piracy and war profiteering with the Australian rich and powerful. So that Sydney Committee for Welcoming War Criminals is not snubbed again and is able to bring an appropriate reception to the US Vice President's every moment while in Sydney, a War Criminal Hotline has been set up. "We are calling upon police, media people, politicians, politician's servants, baggage handlers, chauffeurs and cleaners, anyone anywhere who gets a whiff of the whereabouts of Cheney and where he may be headed next, to become a citizen informer and ring the War Criminal Hotline," said Lady Obeid, social secretary to The Committee. The War Criminal Hotline is 0401 758 871 "On receipt of information of his whereabouts, a quick response team of welcomers will rush to his side and show him what Sydney people really think of him," said Lady Obeid. Further information Lady Marlene Obeid 0401 758 871 Graeme Dunstan, captain Peacebus.com 0407 951 688