S11, globalisation and the Australian media

television summaries

Ten News, 11/9/2000

A reasonably balanced story, in that police over reaction was shown as well as the closing off of the Forum, with enough quotes from both sides. However no context was given at all was given to the protest, resulting in sensationalist reporting. Worse still were Paul Smith's attempt at the end of the report at belittling S11's action by saying that the Forum is trying to answer some of the very issues S11 are raising was one of astounding shallowness, and a low point of all of the coverage.

Second story in after Olympic torch arrivig in Sydney. Only TV news report to do this.

- Newsreader intro:an angry mob laid siege to the WEF, trapping terrified delegates in their cars. No mention of the protestors cause.

- Reporter: Paul Smith. Protestors claimed an early victory. Thousands encircling the Crown casino, preventing delegates getting into the WEF.

- But their success came at a price. Violent clashes breaking out around the venue. In the most serious incident WA premier Richard Court was trapped inside his car, protestors pounding windows, while tyres were slashed. Police made repeated requeststo get the premier's car out of the area, but after more than an hour police reinforcements were brought in. Snippet from unnamed protestor (who was in fact WA aboriginal protestor Ivan Wyatt-Ring):'I made a citizen's arrest, right. On the part of us, the people'. No mention of the relevance of mandatory sentencing's relevance to both the protestor and the fact that Court has implemented it in WA. One protestor lost some teeth, while another was taken to hospital after falling off a ramp. Others complained about police tactics. Unnamed protestor:'they kept telling us to move back and I couldn't because there were so many people behind me and they stabbed with the baton in the breast'. Two police officers were also injured.

- an ambulance officer was also caught in the crossfire. Paul Holman, ambulance officer: 'we had a couple incidents, one where one where people got into the ambulance stole the keys ad roughed up the paramedics, which is apalling behaviour'.

- delegates not already staying at the casino tried to run the gauntlet using buses. Protestors formed human barricades forcing police escorts to turn the buses away. David Glaz, S11 Alliance spokesperson: 'we think we achieved what we set out to achieve, ad that is a mass non-violent shutdown of the WE. We've been something like 10,000 people here today. There's been no violence, becuse we said there'd be no violence and that's been because people have responded in massive numbers'.

- but angry members of the public were also stopped from entering the casino.

- despite the sproradic violence, police have praised their members and the protestors for their restraint.

- live cross to Pual Smith. Protestors have still cut off the casino, but there's a crazy contradiction in all of this: the Forum is discussing many of the concerns about globalisation the protestors are raising. They're trying to come up with some solutions to that, but clearly with this sort of action happening, that's a very difficult task at the moment.

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