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With the introduction of the Commonwealth Games Act, protesting was declared illegal, land was rezoned and access restricted. Security firms were employed as ‘notified persons’ giving them extraordinary powers. Political materials such as t-shirts and banners were banned, and any kind of lobbying groups had to apply for permits to march the streets. Civil libertarians were outraged at the conditions of this Act and were quick to label Queensland as a ‘police state’. Police had also been issued with new riot-squad batons; the same batons that were used to control protesting crowds in New Zealand the year earlier over the controversial Springbok tour. There was speculation that this was in response to rumours of ‘blood in the streets’ as the media circulated articles inciting fear of ‘black armies trained in guerrilla warfare’.