Bush heckled in Australian parliament

The US President, George W Bush was interrupted by on two separate occasions as he delivered a speech to the Australian parliament…

The US President, George W Bush was interrupted by on two separate occasions as he delivered a speech to the Australian parliament today.

The Green Party Senator Kerry Nettle shouted protests about the US-led war in Iraq.

Mr Bush smiled when interupted and said: "I love free speech".

Then the 18-year-old son of Mamdouh Habib, an Australians being detained without charge at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, was removed from the chamber after yelling: "Hey Bush, what about my Dad?"

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Outside the chamber almost 2,000 demonstrators staged protests against Mr Bush's visit.

In his speech, the US president thanked Australia for its role in the war in Iraq and its help in the fight against global terror.

The Australian Prime Minister John Howard paid tribute to Mr Bush's "character, strength and leadership" and said Australia was right to have joined America in the war in Iraq.

The American president's 20-hour visit, ending a six-nation Asia tour, has triggered a massive security operation in the usually sleepy capital, with armed air force jets escorting him into Canberra on Wednesday night and patrolling the city's skies today.