Appeal for Solidarity! Civil Rights under attack in New Zealand- 17 arrested under "Terrorism" Scare

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Sunday October 21, 2007 20:48

by Joe Carolan - Civil Rights Defence, (New Zealand / Aotearoa)

solidarityjoe at yahoo dot com

skype: josephsolidarity

0064211861450

Appeal to Ireland for Solidarity- INternational Day of Action Sat October 27th

First they came for the Maori, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Maori. Then they came for the Anarchists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Anarchist. Then they came for the Ecologists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't an Ecologist. Then they came for me, and by there was no one left to speak up for me.

Appeal to Ireland for Solidarity- International Day of Action Sat October 27th
PLEASE organise protests in Dublin, Belfast etc.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12434385103

http://indymedia.org.nz/

http://www.unityaotearoa.blogspot.com/

Defend Civil Rights in Aotearoa / NZ

In a wave of massive state repression, 300+ Police, in many cases armed, raided houses around Aotearoa / NZ on October 16th making 17 arrests. Search warrants were carried out in Auckland, Whakatane, Ruatoki, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. Police are also seeking up to 60 people for questioning. The arrestees are all activists in the Tino Rangatiratanga, peace and environmental movements.

These aggressive raids are an attempt to criminalize dissent and smear critics of government and corporate policies with the “terrorist” label. This is both appalling and ridiculous.

Every great movement for peace, workers’ rights, social justice or environmental sustainability in our history has organized civil disobedience or other “illegal” protest to make its point, from Parihaka to the 1951 Lockout, from the anti-nuclear campaign, to the GE Free movement. Every one of these movements organized actions which could be branded a “terrorist” under the current legislation.

We must unite to defend the democratic right to protest and dissent.

We must throw the “terrorist” label back in the faces of the politicians who voted for these US-inspired laws, whilst supporting Bush’s terrorist war in Afghanistan, while trading with the terrorist dictatorship in Burma.

GPJA: Terrorism charges trumped up for political impact

Police allegations of terrorism in the Urewera ranges are trumped up to create the right political environment to pass the latest so-called anti-terrorism bill currently before parliament.

There is no need for terrorism charges to be suggested by the police. All the alleged activity is already covered by New Zealand's existing laws. If people are alleged to have broken the law with regard to guns for example then they should be charged with gun offences. Talk of terrorism is nonsense.

New Zealand has never been a terrorist target but the authorities want to bring New Zealand laws into line with other countries such as Australia and Britain which have been terrorist targets.

The Urewera charges are the best they can come up to provide the false justification they need.

We will not be surprised to see the terrorism charges never materialise. It's most likely these will be quietly set aside. However the police beat-up will have had the desired effect. Fear will have been created in the community and politicians will respond accordingly.

This is a typical method to promote unwanted changes. Create a crisis to instil fear in the community and use this as a cover to bring in anti-democratic, authoritarian measures.

We hope the public will see through this ruse.