Injuries, arrests as thousands protest against Bush in Sydney

The march was organised by a group called the Stop Bush Coalition, but some demonstrators also expressed their concerns over a range of other issues, including climate change. As the protesters marched, Bush and 20 other world leaders gathered at Sydney's iconic Opera House on the harbour, some 20 minutes walk away, for the this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The leaders, including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who is a close Bush ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao, did not catch even a glimpse of the protesters. The heads of government were protected by a five-kilometre (three-mile) long, three-metre high fence snaking through the city and 5,000 police and soldiers patrolling on land, sea and in the air.

The security operation, the largest ever mounted in Australia, included overflights by air force jets, police on jet skis in Sydney's famous harbour and special laws aimed at cracking down on protesters near the summit.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph describe the costs as follows: The operation has cost an estimated $170 million, involving 3,500 NSW police, 500 federal police and 1,500 Australian Defence Force personnel.