The APEC conference, where all global leaders converge in one city to pretend like they're doing important things, was held in Sydney in 2007. With the war on terror in full swing, security was at a maximum, and streets of the inner city were placed behind a giant multi-layered steel fence to keep the world leaders far away from the unwashed masses.
Attempting to ward off trouble, organizers of the conference hold a meeting with notorious political comedy prank group "The Chaser", and many protest groups, to tell them they are, under absolutely no circumstances getting anywhere near any world leaders, and to not even bother trying.
"The whole perimeter is secure," security forces told them sternly. "The only thing getting through that fence is a motorcade."
Attempting to ward off trouble, organizers of the conference hold a meeting with notorious political comedy prank group "The Chaser", and many protest groups, to tell them they are, under absolutely no circumstances getting anywhere near any world leaders, and to not even bother trying.
"The whole perimeter is secure," security forces told them sternly. "The only thing getting through that fence is a motorcade."
24 hours later "The Chaser" goofballs were on their way towards the fence with a motorcade. A few things should have tipped off security guards that this fake Canadian motorcade was not a the real deal.
Number one: Canada wasn't at the conference,
number two: no country has actually had security running alongside cars since the 70s,
and three: most security guards don't carry video cameras with them or passes that read "this is fake".
Nevertheless the ruse was more successful than anyone had anticipated, and The Chaser team were happily waved into the most secure area of the conference by police, who informed the incognito comedians that "the road is yours."
Reaching the outside of George Bush's hotel, the pranksters now began to worry that they were never going to be stopped by police and decided to get out of the car, and start phase two.
While dressed as Osama Bin Laden.
At this point all hell broke loose. Snipers were locked on. Confused police scrambled, and immediately arrested the whole group, only breathing a sigh of relief when they saw the words "Chaser's War" and "Joke" on the fake security passes.
Bizarrely the police opted to give a full escort to the guy dressed in a suit, and allowed the other man cosplaying as the world's most wanted terrorist to just casually walk out on his own before booking him at the perimeter.
The Chaser team said that while being put in a cell overnight wasn't fun, they were less stressed after police started visiting to ask for photos and signatures.
The prank group were later hauled before the courts and threatened with a massive fine, but the case was eventually dropped after they successfully argued that it's not technically breaking-in if the cops happily wave you into a high security zone.
Police and security forces had also erected a security perimeter around much of inner city Sydney. Another point of criticism is the official budget figure cost of security for the event was AUS$169 million.
New South Wales Police Minister justified the strong security presence and curtailment of civil liberties on the fear of 'violent protest' from other protest groups.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser_APEC_pranks
This most prominent prank was the breach of an APEC restricted zone in the heart of Sydney central business district on 6 Sept. Julian Morrow directed a fake Canadian motorcade, which was allowed through the restricted zone by police and not detected until Chas Licciardello alighted, dressed as Osama bin Laden.
Although pranks that involved public locations, figures, and organizations were always a feature of the TV series Chaser's War, the APEC pranks yielded unprecedented worldwide publicity. Charges for breaching the APEC zone were dropped because police had allowed the entry into the restricted zone.
Before the summit, Morrow commented on radio that "the eyes of the world and the eyes of Al-Qaeda are on us". Morrow hinted that their challenge was to perform a stunt that would "make Osama bin Laden feel a little incompetent"
The Chaser's War on Everything team emphasized that their only realistic attempt to disguise the vehicles was the use of a Canadian flag. Taylor later said that there was "no particular reason we chose Canada, we just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinize too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade—as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him"
Following the breach of the APEC restricted area, the actions of Chaser's War became the subject of intense debate among the media, police, and government.
Despite strong condemnation from some officials, the stunt was mostly well received by the public. A Sydney correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Chaser team had become "folk heroes" after the prank, while 87% of the 28,451 respondents to a Sydney Morning Herald internet poll found the stunt "funny".
It was decided that the police, failing to notice that the presented security badges were fake, had given "tacit" permission for the group to enter the restricted zone. Further, the actions of the police on the scene caused the Chaser team to proceed much further into the heart of the security zone than they had intended to, as Morrow intended to end the stunt before crossing into restricted territory, but was indeed waved farther into it by police.
The DPP argued that it was never the intention of Chaser's War to breach security and that they were allowed into the restricted area only because of the mistakes of the police, and by waving Chaser's War through, they had granted permission to be in the restricted zone.
It was decided that the police, failing to notice that the presented security badges were fake, had given "tacit" permission for the group to enter the restricted zone. Further, the actions of the police on the scene caused the Chaser team to proceed much further into the heart of the security zone than they had intended to, as Morrow intended to end the stunt before crossing into restricted territory, but was indeed waved farther into it by police.
The DPP argued that it was never the intention of Chaser's War to breach security and that they were allowed into the restricted area only because of the mistakes of the police, and by waving Chaser's War through, they had granted permission to be in the restricted zone.
The laws enacted for the summit meant that entry into the restricted zone needed justification, which could include police permission.
I hope you get a kick out of this incredible bit of history
I LOVE IT! APEC is no favorite of mine. The Chasers did a great job. I will laugh often at this stunt.
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