Summary

TAPE: EF03/0044 IN_TIME: 01:10:11 DURATION: 1:08 SOURCES: CH9 RESTRICTIONS: DATELINE: Off Fremantle, 15 Jan 2003 SHOTLIST: 1. Aerial of the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln anchored off Fremantle, on the West Australian coast 2. Various of anti-war protesters in boats heading towards ship 3. Police following protesters in boat 4. UPSOUND (English) Protesters in boat shouting anti-US and anti-war slogans: "Sanctions against weapons inspectors! Sanctions against the USA! We don't want no blood for oil!" 5. Wide of protesters in boats 6. Australian member of parliament Carmen Lawrence on protest boat 7. Aerial of US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln STORYLINE: A group of peace activists attempted unsuccessfully to sail up to a U.S. aircraft carrier moored off western Australia's coast Wednesday to carry out a "weapons inspection" as a protest. Maverick Labour lawmaker Carmen Lawrence led the group of about 30 protesters in three boats to the USS Abraham Lincoln. The delegation, which failed to get past a security exclusion zone around the ship, said it wanted to see if weapons of mass destruction were aboard the 1,092-foot (333-meter) aircraft carrier. The mission aims to draw attention to the U.S. government's failure to remove its own weapons of mass destruction while demanding Iraq get rid of such weapons, the Fremantle Anti-Nuclear Group said in a statement. Lawrence said they spoke briefly by radio telephone to the crew onboard "and indicated that we were protesting at the U.S. involvement in Iraq." The USS Abraham Lincoln has been berthed off Fremantle for almost two weeks undergoing maintenance and repair work. Its return to the port, just two weeks after leaving, came amid speculation it was preparing for a war against Iraq.