The APEC security fantasy

“Strengthening our community, building a sustainable future”, proclaim the banners that have been erected on Sydney’s poles for APEC week. Presumably the slogan refers to the high-level discussions among world leaders, but one can’t help but think of the large metal and concrete fence that was built across the central business district to strengthen the city.

The word on everybody’s lips for the past week has, of course, been APEC. The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation recently held in Sydney brought the often obscure and distant global discussion forums to the forefront of Australians’ minds. For Sydneysiders, APEC has gone from an obscure acronym to a tangible reality, disrupting the city and its roads in the process.

Parts of the CBD went into “lockdown”, fenced off from the public and effectively excluding them from public space in their own city. The security was formidable and incredible. On Saturday, September 8, police lined the streets around Hyde Park forming a human chain, police buses with metal grilles were parked throughout the CBD, helicopters buzzed overhead constantly and, for the most part, the city was a ghost town.

The long-predicted protest almost materialised, but was largely peaceful. Otherwise, the streets of central Sydney were pretty much deserted. The security apparatus was highly effective in scaring citizens away from their own city spaces.

Threre were a number of factors disrupting peoples’ lives in Sydney during APEC. There was an exodus of people out of the city for the long-weekend; the presence of formidable physical and psychological barriers erected by the security forces; and there were special powers granted to the police for the week. The latter included the ability to stop, search and demand identification from anyone deemed suspicious, extended powers of arrest, and an Orwellian surveillance effort. Some of the news stories of ordinary people accidentally getting caught up in this are chilling indeed.

During the conference itself the experience of actually being in the Sydney CBD was surreal. Familiar streets and places were transformed into sinister and shadowy places, ghosts of their usual existence. There were police officers or suited and ear-pieced agents literally on every corner, and a constant feeling that one was being watched. It was apparent the public were not welcome and did not belong, especially after having been warned, through the media, to stay away.

Thankfully, progress was made in the high-level discussions among world leaders on economics, trade, climate change and regional security. The meeting and its outcomes have attracted attention from around the world, vaulting Sydney into the focus of the world’s media as the backdrop of these talks. Hosting the conference has brought many benefits to Sydney, not least a way to solidify its position as a post-September 11, 2001 global city that can host a delegation of heads of state, combat terrorist activities, and effectively control its populace when necessary

Yet it’s debateable whether the security was over the top for the purposes of protecting the delegates from attack or harassment, and the city from violent protest. The organisation and security of the event speak volumes about how cities and citizens are controlled and disciplined. A remarkable show of force was created, giving the impression of a formidable security machine that instilled a sense of fear and trepidation among many.

Securing Sydney also conveniently served a variety of interests.

Politically, it was an excellent opportunity for the federal government to show how serious it is about national security and about protecting important events from terrorist threats. Making the security so overt, intimidating and intrusive allowed the government to show off its abilities, as well as instilling a sense of fear in the public - a fear that terrorism is likely to happen, therefore we must all go along with the changes to the city in the name of the wider good, and (presumably) trust the government to manage it all.

This perspective is somewhat cynical, but the construction of fear definitely creates valuable political opportunities that can then be exploited by offering solutions, albeit ones that impinge on civil rights and disrupt the ability of ordinary citizens to go about their everyday lives in the city.

APEC’s security also benefited the police force. There were unprecedented powers to control the public, albeit for a limited period, and individual officers had enormous discretion to arrest, question, detain, interrogate and control. Head command could show off its co-ordination abilities and deployment of equipment to appease the political masters. Essentially, it was a psycho-sexual fantasy of disciplinary power that dispensed with the usual restraints of valid reasons for an arrest, presumption of innocence and access to legal representation for those detained.

The role of the media has also been significant, with newspapers, TV, radio, websites devoting more than enough coverage to the conference. The high volume of comical, speculative and even mundane commentary and opinion has been notable - this was a big event with numerous opportunities for things to happen, to go wrong, and to be challenged, but with very little of substance actually materialising. There were no large violent protests and the conference, for the most part, went smoothly. Apart from a comical stunt by the television show The Chaser, there were basically no significant intrusions of the security apparatus either.

APEC was an opportunity to sell newspapers and attract TV viewers, and was an important channel in conveying the government’s messages and warnings to the public to stay clear from the action. Disseminating these and speculating on protests and transgressions was profitable business, as was scaring people away from their city.

If politicians, the police and the media benefit, then what about the public? The conference was an annoyance for most Sydneysiders, but not a major problem due to its short duration. It was tolerable if one stayed away from the city or expected important progress to be made in talks among leaders.

To an extent, many people bought into the security fears. Most citizens feel some sense of loyalty to the town or city in which they live, and for the APEC conference this has been played upon by the government, police and media. Many of the security features have gone unchallenged, despite some opposition. Citizens felt obliged to give up their rights to the city, and be monitored and controlled, for a short period of the time, all for the greater good.

The APEC conference defines Sydney as a city that can control its citizens and residents, one with a powerful display of government that can watch what goes on and discipline those who transcend the stringent arrangements. I hope that these security measures are never needed again. Living in Sydney during APEC has been a daunting experience, demonstrating just how far a government can go in its efforts to control, instil fear and regulate the behaviour of citizens, even in a democracy.

Indeed, this is all part of a much wider phenomenon in a world concerned about terrorism and violent anti-global protests. Sydney has been caught up in the transnational flows of fear.