How Farnsy became a figurehead for Australian protesters

Pro-Palestinian protesters have danced and exercised in their protest of legislation that bans the phrase "From the River to the Sea". (ABC News: Tessa Flemming) Link copiedShareShare articleBlonde locks, leg warmers, and some truly questionable uses of neon. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have continued to skirt laws using John Farnham flash mobs, the latest being an aptly-80s inspired fun run. It all started when hundreds belted out 1988 classic Two Strong Hearts, in protest of legislation outlawing the phrase "From the River to the Sea"— to which Farnsy's lyrics share an uncanny resemblance. Pro-Palestinian protesters poke fun at the legislation, which restricts use of the phrase. (ABC News: Tessa Flemming ) But fancy-dress isn't just limited to Farnsy or pro-Palestinian rallies. In Portland, Oregon, inflatable costumes have become emblematic in the fight against ICE. In Brisbane, clowns rocked up to city hall "to witness the circus that is question time". And those who increasingly engage in the nonviolent protest form — better known as tactical frivolity — argue it is bringing more people to activism. A demonstrator dressed in an inflatable frog costume stands in front of law enforcement officers during a protest outside of the ICE headquarters in south Portland. (Reuters: Carlos Barria ) Tactical frivolity describes those who employ humour and whimsy in their protests. Or as L.M. Bogad, founding director of the Center for Tactical Performance in Berkeley, California, puts it: protest that is "disarming and charming" and maybe a little surprising. It's that element of surprise that can often throw off opposing forces or violence, he says. It also typically negates the use of violence. "Instead of replying force with force — which you're probably going to be outmatched anyway — you're being unpredictable," he tells ABC News. "And your opponents may not be trained to deal with that. But the form dates back much longer than the existence of inflatable dino costumes. A depiction of a charivari from the Roman de Fauvel, dating back to the 1300s. (Wikimedia Commons: Gallica Digital Library) "Once we have records, it's always there," Mr Bogad notes. "There's always people demanding total obedience, and wherever there's that kind of demand for obedience, there's ridicule and resistance." Sean Scalmer, professor of history at the University of Melbourne agrees, pointing to forms of public mockery known as 'Charivari', widely popular in Medieval Europe and up until the 19th century. The noisy mock serenade was often performed to denounce corrupt officials or other kinds of antisocial behaviour. LM Bogad and his fellow protesters dressed up as sales representatives daring visitors to drink ‘produced water' in a protest against the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta's sponsor Exxon. The protest made headlines for its oddball quality. (Supplied: LM Bogad ) But in today’s mass media environment, activists must do more than simply launching a protest to get noticed by the press, he said. "So that means that protests that are disruptive or novel or visually striking are going to be more appealing to the media," Mr Scalmer adds. "That in turn creates a kind of an incentive for those planning protests." A Billionaires for Bush protester lights a cigar with a burning piece of fake US currency in the 2000s. (Reuters: File ) Since then, there's been Canada's teddy bear catapult, billionaires for Bush, or even the John Howard Ladies’ Auxiliary Fan Club. Australia, in particular, has a unique connection to the form — perhaps due to our larrikin temperament, Commons Library historian Iain McIntyre posits. He points to a long history of Australians finding loopholes to protest. Bans on streets marches led to a groundswell of Melburnians marching backwards in 1905. Meanwhile, Occupy Melbourne protesters dressed up in tents to flout camping regulations "There's a real history of people combining humour and loopholes to ridicule the repression of free speech," he says. The John Howard Ladies' Auxiliary Fan Club would dress up as conservative women to get near the former PM. (Paul Miller: AAP) When a small group of Brisbane City Council enthusiasts were brainstorming ways to encourage their local community to watch, a commonly-used refrain kept returning to them. "We often say in videos, 'the council is a circus in a very unique way'," Tight Knit member Tully Connor jokes. In mid-March, the group of around eight regular council watchers descended upon city hall embodying exactly that. Dressed in red noses and faces shellacked with jester face paint, they put out an open call for others to do the same in the hopes of encouraging civic engagement. Tully Connor says it might have looked silly but the event helped those "burned by bureaucracy" feel more welcomed in council. (Supplied: Lachlan Neil) "The main way we could probably bring people in to watch council is if we made it fun," Ms Connor explains. T

How Farnsy became a figurehead for Australian protesters

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