Something must be said concerning the illusion of “free speech” in this country and specifically about where free speech intersects not only with reality but also with the concept of quiet enjoyment.
We must also consider where these competing rights might overlap and how they can be inconsistent with what happens in the wider world. Professional sport does not exist in a vacuum.
Specifically, is it reasonable that during the first Test match in Perth, a banner erected by spectators, plainly and politely, that bore only the words “ALL LIVES ARE EQUAL FREEDOM IS A HUMAN RIGHT” was forcibly removed by venue security? Or, instead, should we be troubled and affronted that such action would be taken in 2023 in Australia?
These are serious questions. The Boxing Day Test starts next Tuesday and the world will be watching to see what happens next.
And it’s not just a “cricket thing” either – the Australian Open starts in three weeks, which has in the past enticed the Putin sympathisers from the shadows.
The starting point, of course, is that when you buy a ticket to an event, things are more complex than what’s explained by the vendor or on Ticketek’s app. I’ll bet none of you has ever trawled through the MCG’s “conditions of entry” let alone Cricket Australia’s “ticket and entry conditions”. Each instrument constitutes many layers of added complexity to activities which once were fun. They are both nanny-statism writ massive.
Illustration:Credit: Simon Letch
It might surprise you, however – as it did me – to learn the MCG’s rules run for just a polite couple of pages. There’s nothing directly saying you can’t bring into the ground and drape over the bannister a king-sized bedsheet spray-painted with the words “ALL LIVES ARE EQUAL FREEDOM IS A HUMAN RIGHT”.
The only rule of potential relevance is that patrons attending the MCG can’t bring in any item that has the potential to cause a public nuisance.
Why CA is acting like a law unto itself with Boxing Day banner ban
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23.12.2023
Something must be said concerning the illusion of “free speech” in this country and specifically about where free speech intersects not only with reality but also with the concept of quiet enjoyment.
We must also consider where these competing rights might overlap and how they can be inconsistent with what happens in the wider world. Professional sport does not exist in a vacuum.
Specifically, is it reasonable that during the first Test match in Perth, a banner erected by spectators,........
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