Amy Remeikis
Online poster promoting action against anti-bikie legislation on Australia Day. Photo: Supplied
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman (R)
and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie have spearheaded Queensland's tough
anti-bikie legislation. Photo: Michelle Smith
Protests against the Queensland government's anti-association gang laws have gone international.As part of 'Freedom Day' events, a 'British Bikers Protest' has been planned for Australia Day in London, where organisers have vowed to “protest for our rights to associate”.
Starting at the Ecuadorian embassy, to highlight the plight of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the group plan on converging on Australia House to protest the Newman government's Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act.
The group organising the protest has taken to Facebook to ask likeminded people to “please merge on the Australian Embassy in your country on the 26.1.14, on bike, foot truck or push bike in support of the victims of this horrendous law in a so called free country”.
Details for protests around the nation on January 26 are also set out.
One post in support of the group's plans came from Sacramento in California, where Robert Tabaldo, who said at a recent 'Biker Unification Rally', the “VLAD law in Oz” was discussed and the rally attendees were “100 per cent behind your cause”.
“This is a global issue and we stand united with our Australian brothers,” he said.
The laws have continued to dominate the political narrative, three months after they were introduced.
Premier Campbell Newman, while still staunchly supporting the laws he spearheaded following a public brawl in Broadbeach last September, has softened his approach, admitting again that he doesn't like the laws and previewed their end.
But he has repeated his belief that they are necessary to “keep Queenslanders safe”.
In response to the Australia Day protests, Mr Newman said they demonstrated “firstly that there is a significant PR spin exercise being undertaken by criminal gangs and secondly that they clearly have significant resources and international links”.
“It beggars belief that anybody in London could possibly understand the facts about what this legislation really involves or have any legitimate motivation to protest,” Mr Newman said.
Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the laws had made “Queensland a laughing stock”, but Mr Newman said it was the target of the laws who were to blame.
“The only people who are impacting our reputation are criminal gangs who continue to spread the lie that these laws affect innocent Queenslanders" he said.
"These laws were supported near unanimously in the Parliament including all Labor MPs.”
