Sydney, Australia, Dec 13, 2007 / 10:09 am
Strict emergency laws will be in force during the World Youth Day events in 2008, tightening security and banning unapproved advertisements near event venues, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Under the World Youth Day Amendment Bill, passed last week by the State Parliament of New South Wales, authorities will have the power to conduct body searches, confiscate vehicles, and evict people from World Youth Day events. The law permits private buses to be commandeered to transport pilgrims, while police and other officials will even have control of air space and unauthorized advertising.
The laws restricting advertising protects commercial agreements between the Church and event sponsors by restricting advertising around World Youth Day venues. Similar restrictions were in place for the 2000 Olympics and the Grand Prix in Victoria.
The new laws will be administered by the specially created World Youth Day Coordination Authority, which is not affiliated with the Catholic Church. Under the law, this authority and its minister, Deputy Premier John Watkins, is supreme and cannot be "challenged, reviewed quashed or called into question" in court.