Sydney's Berlinesque Security

To many people, normal residents and visitors to Sydney, one of the world's great cities, all the security around the APEC meeting would seem like too much, in what is usually a peaceful city. Much of Sydney's northern CBD, plus the Opera House, are off-limits. Why the fuss?

To be honest, I can't really blame the Australian authorities for having such tight security measures-to ward off a bunch of brainless protesters. But if riots did happen to break out across the ditch, it wouldn't be the first time such riots have happened. I'm sure we all know of the great nuisance caused to the WTO personnel during their visit in Seattle, in late 1999. And with all the stupid hype about these meetings caused by the Left, the Sydney authorities do have something to fear. After all, they want to make their city look good for these meetings. Most people would.

One Lefty group says "the only people talking about violence are the authorities". Even if that is true, the Left is very well known for breaking into riots within a few minutes! France, anyone?