APEC Meeting and Protests

Last weekend, September 8-9, and the preceding week leaders from around the Pacific came to Sydney to the APEC meeting. It caused a great deal of excitement and a huge pain for those of us living here. A large part of downtown Sydney had streets closed off and 12 foot fences erected to control access. Bus routes and trains were rerouted or closed off. There were significant traffic delays. Despite all of that there was electricity in the air, with people going about their business with an extra bit of pep. It was very exciting to have the leaders of some of the most powerful countries in the world all in our city. Some of the leaders included, Presidents Hu Jintao, Putin, Roh, Yudhoyono, and Bush, as well as , Prime Ministers Abe, Howard, and Harper among others.
The first three photos are of downtown Sydney, aka CBD (Central Business District), during the APEC week. You can see the fences and heavy Police presence and empty streets which are usually full of traffic. The last two photos are from Saturday September 8th when there was a mass protest against APEC. There were expected to be between 10,000 and 20,000 people at the event. You can also see the very heavy Police presence at the event. Despite the large number of protesters and Police there were few incidence and only 19 people were arrested and at least 5 were later released without charges.
The police were accused of being heavy handed in that they wouldn't allow people to cross the road except at one controlled point. It was amazing to see so many people and police officers there. It was also neat to see the riot gear the police had and the huge water canon truck that was ready to be used in case of trouble. Over all an interesting experience, but I think most people are glad that it's over.