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SYDNEY - A protest involving about 50 bare-bottomed activists spilled onto Sydney streets today, stalling an Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum motorcade and triggering scuffles with police.
The Bums for Bush campaign was hailed a success by organisers, even though drizzling rain kept many protesters away from the mooning anti-Bush protest.
Around 50 people lined up at Hyde Park's north end and mooned an audience of several hundred people, including supporters and media.
After two encores of the performance, rain dispersed the protest, which then moved to Elizabeth Street, outside the Sheraton on the Park hotel, where witnesses said protesters blocked an Apec motorcade.
Protesters took to the streets before police officers forcibly pushed people off the road, yelling: "Move, get off the road."
Around 200 protesters lined both sides of Elizabeth Street and played blaring music, as police on bicycles stood watch.
Barely minutes after many in the crowd moved towards the hotel, a helicopter swooped over the scene while a bus delivered an extra 20 police officers.
Protesters, carrying placards reading "Sign Kyoto, you wankers", cheered and clapped, chanting "Bush, Howard, USA, how many kids did you kill today?"
Police could not immediately confirm the reports that protesters had hindered a motorcade.
At the Bums for Bush protest, organiser Will Saunders said while the protest did not approach the mooning world record - 2000 people, or 4000 cheeks - it was enjoyed by all.
"Just because you feel strongly about an issue doesn't mean you can't laugh about it," Mr Saunders said.
"There's many ways of making a point, (this is) the Australian way."
The protest also involved a 21-bum salute to the 21 countries in Apec, some spelling out "bums not bombs".
High school students Ben Leffley and Daniel Holmes travelled for three hours from Lithgow, west of the NSW Blue Mountains, to attend the rally.
Mr Leffley, 18, said the war in Iraq was the biggest motivation for him to join the protest, and he did not believe mooning was the best way to oppose it.
"We've come here because we really believe what George Bush and John Howard are doing is not right," he said.
"(The protest) was good, though probably not the most effective way."
But Mr Holmes, 17, said mooning was an excellent way of attracting attention to a cause.
"It may be somewhat symbolic but it's more the fact that it's raising awareness ... people are going to want to find out why we're showing our arses and that will raise awareness," he said.
- NZPA
