'not Funny': Chaser Team Runs Into Trouble With Summit Stunt
The Age
Friday September 7, 2007
ELEVEN crew from the ABC's satirical show The Chaser's War on Everything - including one dressed as Osama bin Laden - have been arrested by police near the hotel where US President George Bush is staying.
The team posed as Canadian officials in a convoy of three cars and two motorbikes flying the Canadian flag and were ushered through two checkpoints in Sydney's APEC security "red" zone before being intercepted near the InterContinental Hotel.ABC management confirmed that star Chas Licciardello and the show's executive producer, Julian Morrow, were among those detained.The convoy passed through two checkpoints around the hotel before Licciardello emerged in white robe as bin Laden. Other team members are believed to have been dressed as bodyguards.ABC spokesman Peter Ritchie confirmed that the crew had been detained. "Our ABC lawyers and management are currently in discussions with the police, and that's really all I can say at this stage," he said.NSW police confirmed that 11 people from the ABC were arrested and three cars seized in the CBD at 11.30am. Nine men and two women were charged last night with "entering a restricted area without justification" under the new APEC legislation. They were all granted bail on the condition they did not enter a restricted APEC zone again and must appear at Downing Centre Local Court on October 4. They face a maximum six months' jail.NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Dave Owens said: "I'm not embarrassed at all. What I am is very angry that such a stunt like this would be pulled.""We have 21 world leaders here and while I enjoy, like everyone else, a good laugh, this wasn't funny."All were taken to the Sydney Police Centre at Surry Hills, where they were interviewed by the APEC investigation squad for alleged breaches of the APEC legislation. Police said the show's producers were warned this week to seriously consider the ramification of stunts during APEC. A police statement said: "The program was further told that any perceived threat to security would be dealt with as a threat and their profile would not necessarily protect them." Police have been issued with special powers during APEC to search, question and detain people until the summit is over.Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denied the stunt had exposed a flaw in APEC security. The fact they were arrested showed the system was working.But he said: "Whatever you think of the humour of The Chaser . . . they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way. They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people." Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd told Channel Nine he thought the team had gone too far. "I think given the heightened security around Sydney that it's not responsible," Mr Rudd said. "I'm a fan of The Chaser's, I watch their stuff - they take the mickey out of me all the time - that's fine, but I think when you've got a major security event going on in Sydney right now, I think these guys have crossed the line."Chaser member Craig Reucassel responded later, telling the Nine Network:"There's about 40,000 people there - they should be able to handle it." The Chaser team appeared on Wednesday at an anti-APEC student protest, where team member Chris Taylor forced his way through the crowd dressed as a police officer on a dress-up horse. The intention was to make fun of the fact that NSW police horses were forced into quarantine during the nation's biggest security event after many showed signs of the equine flu.Licciardello was charged last year with offensive conduct over a stunt he carried out for the show outside a rugby league match. The charge was thrown out of court.The latest clash with police came as ratings figures showed that the show's return on Wednesday night drew an average audience of 1.49 million people nationally, making it the second most-watched show behind Channel Ten's Thank God You're Here. -- With DANIEL ZIFFER
© 2007 The Age
