The Chaser APEC pranks
The Chaser APEC pranks were a series of comic stunts coordinated and performed by the Australian satire group The Chaser for the television series The Chaser's War on Everything. Pranks were done at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Summit in Sydney. The most prominent prank was the breach of an APEC restricted zone in the heart of the Sydney central business district on 6 September. 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 organisations were always a feature of the series, the APEC pranks yielded unprecedented local and international publicity, both positive and negative. Some team members faced charges for breaching the APEC zone, but these were dropped because police had allowed their entry into the restricted zone. Other less controversial and less publicised stunts were also shown on The Chaser's War on Everything, with ratings peaking at almost three million Australian viewers for the APEC wrap-up episode.
Background
APEC
APEC Australia 2007 comprised a series of political meetings between representatives of the 21 member governments of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. This culminated in a week-long summit meeting: Leaders Week, 2 to 9 September, when heads of the member governments gathered in Sydney.The significance of the APEC summit called for stringent and expensive security arrangements. The Protective Security Coordination Centre, of the National Security and Criminal Justice Group from the Australian Attorney-General's Department, oversaw security planning through the APEC 2007 Security Branch, formed expressly for the APEC meetings. To secure and monitor the summit, the New South Wales Police Force instituted the APEC Police Security Command. Many public roads in Sydney were closed, as leaders, officials, and personnel travelled in motorcades around the city centre. Figures released by the state government at a Senate committee hearing show that security measures at APEC cost A$170 million.
The Chaser
The Chaser group's founding members were Charles Firth, Dominic Knight, Craig Reucassel, and Julian Morrow. In 1999 they started The Chaser, a fortnightly satirical newspaper. Chas Licciardello, Andrew Hansen, and Chris Taylor later joined the group; and in 2006, after various ventures in radio, stage, and television, this line-up created The Chaser's War on Everything, its most successful program, which screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation station ABC1. By its second season in 2007, the show had forged a reputation for ambush-style stunts and deliberate controversy.The group had been warned about the dangers of irresponsible behaviour during the Sydney lockdown for the APEC summit. According to New South Wales Police Minister David Campbell, the police understood that "parody and satire are entertaining and fun", but The Chaser must understand the "seriousness of this matter and take caution". A later police statement reiterated that producers of The Chaser's War on Everything had been warned about the "ramifications of stunts during APEC".
The Chaser was unfazed by police warnings. Before the summit, Julian 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".
Breach of APEC restricted zone
On 6 September 2007, eight members of the team and three hired chauffeurs manned a fake Canadian motorcade consisting of two motorcycles, two black four-wheel drive vehicles, and a black sedan. The group—including Chas Licciardello dressed as Osama bin Laden, and Julian Morrow—drove the motorcade through the Sydney central business district and breached the APEC security zone. The premise of the stunt was that bin Laden should have been invited to the summit as a world leader, to discuss the war on terror, with another motive being to test the event's security. The stunt was approved by ABC lawyers under the assumption that the motorcade would be stopped at the first security checkpoint and denied entry.In the following episode of The Chaser's War on Everything, the team emphasised 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 scrutinise 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". There were many deliberate indications that the motorcade was not genuine, particularly on the fake credentials used by the team; members' security passes were printed with JOKE, Insecurity, and It's pretty obvious this isn't a real pass all clearly visible, while the APEC 2007 Official Vehicle stickers included both the name of the series and the text This dude likes trees and poetry and certain types of carnivorous plants excite him. In addition, some of the runners were holding camcorders and one of the motorcyclists was wearing jeans, both highly unusual for an official motorcade.
At 11:30 am, the motorcade began its journey towards the "ring of steel", a fenced area at the intersection of Bent and Macquarie Streets. The vehicle stopped for a red light and the police became aware of the motorcade's presence, but waved them towards the checkpoint. The convoy travelled through the first checkpoint without inspection and proceeded in a northerly direction to a second security checkpoint in the prohibited "red zone", just before Bridge Street. Both motorcyclists had by now separated from the motorcade, which was waved through the second checkpoint by police officers. It travelled further into the restricted area before stopping outside the InterContinental Hotel.
Morrow ordered the motorcade to turn around at the Bridge Street intersection because he realised that they had proceeded further than expected, and because the police officers were not going to stop them. With the motorcade partially turned, Licciardello alighted onto the street and complained, in character as bin Laden, about not being invited to the APEC Summit. At this point, the police requested Morrow's identity. After inspecting his fake pass, officers realised that Morrow was from The Chaser and took all eleven members of the motorcade into custody. Surprisingly, as pointed out by the team on their television show, the officers initially ignored Licciardello and only arrested Morrow.
The arrested cast and crew were immediately taken to Surry Hills Police Station, where they were questioned and charged with entering a prohibited area under the APEC Meeting Act 2007. Their cameras were confiscated, with Morrow believing that they had lost the footage. Nathan Earl then revealed to Morrow that he had hidden a tape recorder behind his scrotum. It was not discovered by police, and he removed it when the group returned to the ABC. All were released on bail to appear in court on 4 October 2007. Under the new legislation, the crew members would each face a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment if they were convicted or up to two years if they were in possession of a "prohibited item".
Aftermath
Following the breach of the APEC restricted area, the actions of The Chaser became the subject of intense debate among sections of the media, senior police officers, and government ministers.Public response
Despite strong condemnation from some officials, the stunt was mostly well received by the public. A Sydney correspondent for the BBC 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".However, the ABC received more than 250 complaints, outweighing the 177 positive submissions. A spokesperson for the national broadcaster said that the results were misleading because people who enjoyed the show typically do not make comments. Around the country, around 80% of callers to talkback radio were supportive; and one third of all calls regarding APEC mentioned the stunt.
Political reactions
There were many critics among politicians and officials. Representatives of the police force in Sydney were among the most severe, and New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, the head of APEC's lead security agency, was angered because the comedians could have been shot by police snipers, who were "clearly ... there because they mean business. They're not there for show." In response, Licciardello expressed his faith in the snipers' professional ability: "They are highly trained, competent people and they're not going to shoot people if they're in an Osama bin Laden costume if they clearly don't pose a threat".Many politicians, mostly from the Labor government of New South Wales, reacted to the security breach with concern and unease. Police Minister David Campbell expressed disappointment and concern over the stunt, arguing that there were "21 world leaders arriving in the city at the one time and it needs to be taken seriously". Then New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma said that while he was a fan of the show, those involved would have to face the full force of the law. The then Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd, also from the Labor Party, voiced similar concerns, saying "I'm a fan of The Chaser ... but I think these guys have crossed the line".
Alexander Downer, the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia's Coalition government, was amused when asked to comment on the incident. He said the arrests proved that the security system had functioned properly, adding that "whatever you think of the humour of The Chaser ... they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way". The incident also generated debate during Question Time in the Senate.