October 15 solidarity in Otautahi / Christchurch

Twenty five Tūhoe and supporters in Otautahi / Christchurch marched from Te Whare Roimata community centre to Cathedral Square on Thursday October 15, to mark the second anniversary of the police terror raids. As well as a protest against the police raids on the Tūhoe community of Ruatoki and houses around the country, the hikoi was a also a celebration of Tūhoe’s long and proud history of resistance. Small protests in that big Square often feel a bit gloomy, but not this time. With colourful banners and beautiful waitata Tūhoe showed how to protest in style.

For more information on the October 15th 2007 raids, check out October 15th Solidarity, and the UNITYblog archives for October, November and December 2007.

E Tu! Free concert to oppose the Terrorism Suppression Act, Sat 1st December, Frank Kitts Park, Wellington

FREE CONCERT, Sat 1st December, Frank Kitts Park Wellington You are invited to E tu! A free day concert on Sat 1st December (Sun 2nd if rain) from Noon till 7pm. Come and check out the amazing line up of bands, knowledgeble and insightful speakers, plus enjoy kids activities, food and information stalls and our Wellington waterfront. E tu! will provide you with the space, time, resources, and relaxed atmosphere to educated yourself, whanau and wider community about the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002, its background, global context and implications. Who and why? A group of concerned Wellingtonians are running E tu!, a Terrorism Suppression Act (TSA) awareness raising gig on Saturday 1st Dec (if wet Sunday 2nd).E tu! will engage and educate the public on this subject, as well as the myriad of issues raised which directly effect our civil rights. We will be calling for the TSA to be repealed. E tu! will raise awareness on the day by way of information stalls and key speakers. There will be a dedicated forum area with guest speakers. By having well known people support the issue, the public will see that this is an issue worth further understanding and investigation. We are aiming to meet everyone's needs, old and young alike. It will be a fun day for the whole family, with kids’ games, craft and food stalls,and a wide variety of music. This is a chance for Wellingtonians to come forward and become better informed, and to be counted in their disapproval of the TSA, how it affects our society, and how it may be used in the future. This event will send a clear message to the Government and police that: •We do not want join the USA/Australian/British ‘war on terror’ •We will be saying that there is no need for a Terrorism Act in New Zealand because we already have appropriate laws. There is no need for a separate set of laws to cover crimes committed with religious or political motives. This Act criminalises protestors and their movements. •It is threatening our democratic right to question the government’s policies and legislations. •This event will say that the ‘Uruwera 17’ should not have been arrested. •E tu! will demand both Government and police accountability and transparency in their operations. •We will also be sending the message that we will not stand for institutionalised racism as seen in the ‘terror raids’. We must stand up against this legislation and any plans to toughen it up. If we do not, we will not be able to safely stand up to our government in the future for fear of being labelled a terrorist. Today, 1981 Springbok tour protestors would be charged with 'terrorism' for obstructing infrastructure, as defined by the Act. The TSA is an attack on our right to free speech. It is crucial that New Zealanders from all walks of life engage now. We also need to be equipped with information that allows us to critically analyse mainstream media, which has frequently been incorrect and shown bias. More info at: http://www.e-tu.org.nz/

Cops, SIS create terror panic over FOUR GUNS

Contrary to panicky rumour, the police found no AK-47s, no molotov cocktails and no napalm bombs at Ruatoki. All they found were four rifles, a few rounds of ammunition and a lot of tough talk. Your average National or ACT member living in a rural area probably has more than that in their shed. It's shown once again that the Terror Raids were nothing to do with fighting an actual threat to life, limb or property. This is all about criminalising and anathematising Maori sovereignty, ecologist and anarchist activism. The police, SIS, and the right-wing blogosphere know that it's not illegal to talk tough and play soldier - but they want to make it so, at least for people whose political views they don't like. When former leaders of neo-Nazi organisations do it, though, it's apparently okay - unless Kyle Chapman's "Survive Club" is next to be raided by battalions of ninjas.

Terror raids - charges linked to just 4 guns

5:00AM Saturday November 17, 2007 By Phil Taylor

The anti-terror raids of October 15 resulted in the seizure of only four weapons and 230 rounds of ammunition that have led to charges.

The early-morning raids involved more than 300 officers.

The police have not said what they seized in the property searches in Auckland, Waikato, the Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Christchurch using warrants alleging crimes under the Terrorism Suppression Act and have declined a request to do so.

But of 16 people charged with firearms offences, items seized on October 15 are the basis of charges against only two - Tame Iti, and a man who has name suppression.

The charges Iti faces include illegal possession on that date of three rifles - a Ruger, a Siga and a Machtech - while the other man is charged in regard to a Ruger rifle and 100 rounds of .22 calibre bullets and 130 rounds of .303 calibre ammunition.

The police said it was inappropriate to comment about matters before the court.

Many of the 16 are charged jointly with up to 12 others and the dates the offences are alleged to have occurred relate to dates of the alleged training camps in the Ureweras. The earliest charges relate to November 2006.

The Crown predominantly appears to rely on evidence from surveillance of the camps and interception of conversations. While the latter would be admissible for charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act, it is unlikely to be for firearms charges.

Meanwhile, the Solicitor-General says he has no plans to provide a detailed assessment of flaws he identified in the Terrorism Suppression Act, which he said was "almost impossible to apply in a coherent manner".

His criticism prompted the Government to refer the matter to the Law Commission.

An Auckland University specialist in criminal procedure, Associate Professor Scott Optican, said Dr Collins' input would be invaluable to the commission because he had assessed the evidence and the terrorism law.

"How can the Law Commission comment on the sufficiency of a law unless they know exactly what are the problems alleged with it with respect to the facts of this case," said Professor Optican, a former prosecutor.

"I haven't been convinced enough to know whether there really is a problem in the law or [whether] the case just failed for lack of proof.

"You have to make a rational argument as to what is wrong with the law and why you want it to get at behaviour that it doesn't get at. Just to say the law is rubbish isn't enough; you have to be very specific in light of the facts of the case."

A spokeswoman for Dr Collins said he was not doing a report on the matter and had not been asked to.

But it was usual for the commission in the course of reviews of legislation to consult all agencies with an interest in the particular legislation.

Defend free speech - defend the Urewera 17

EDITED TO ADD:

"...soon as the cops round the buggers up and treat them as criminals the better..."

- Labour cabinet minister Shane Jones (right) shows an admirable devotion to the principles of free expression and "innocent until proven guilty". In the wake of the collapse of the terror case against the Urewera 17, the police (and, possibly, the SIS) have been running around trying to pawn off their "evidence" on whichever media outlet is most keen for an old-fashioned lynching. First TV3, then the Herald on Sunday, and today the Dominion-Post. The only way to explain this contempt for the judicial process is that the cops have decided that they can't criminalise most or even all of the defendants in a court of law, and have decided that trial by media, smear and innuendo is the only way forward to achieve their aims. Socialist Worker has said from the beginning that the real agenda behind the terror raids was to criminalise radical dissent, particularly from Maori sovereigntists, ecological activists and anarchists. And if they can't manage that, they can at least try to line up public opinion behind a witchhunt. Witness the disgusting racist cartoons that appeared in yesterday's newspapers. The police and their media patsies want you to be disturbed that people were allegedly talking about assassinations or property damage. Unfortunately for the cops, while making plans to do any such thing is illegal, simply discussing it is not. This is why the Urewera 17 aren't up on "conspiracy to murder" or "conspiracy to damage property" charges - the police have nothing. The end goal of this media witchhunt is to gain public support for criminalisation of speech, thought and actions which aren't illegal yet. Do New Zealanders want to live in a country where even talking about certain subjects is illegal? That's the question we have to answer. If the Urewera 17 are branded with the scarlet letter of terrorism, how long before anyone who doesn't accept the current "rules of the game" are in the same boat? When will they come for Hone Harawira - or even Keith Locke? The only thing in the leaked "evidence" which is even close to being illegal under actual existing law is the possession of unlicenced firearms - and, rumour has it, "possession" is a very loose term for quite a few of the defendants. Regardless of whether we agree with their political ideas or strategy, all those who believe that there should be real political debate in this country should stand by the Urewera 17, and by the idea that thought and speech should not be criminalised or anathematised unless there's a damn good reason for it. The cheerleaders for state terror say that "there is no reason for violence in a democracy". Perhaps they might want to look at the social exclusion, exploitation and racism that underpins their vaunted "democracy for a few", and decide whether those who refuse to toe the line deserve to have state terror and media slander unleashed on them. Unpopular political speech is not, nor should it be, a crime. The job of the police is to prevent crime, not to engage in media witchhunts against people they just don't like.

Our comrades are free - but keep up the fight!

The terror charges against the “Urewera Seventeen” have been dropped, and most if not all of them appear to have won bail. But this isn’t the end of the fight. We have to keep up the pressure to make sure this abuse of police authority never happens again. The police and the police sympathisers in the government and media are already starting their spin campaign. Their own Solicitor-General has admitted that the current terror laws are “incoherent”. But incredibly, some politicians and media figures are saying that the fact that these political activists are out on bail pending trial shows that the law should be tougher - rather than that it should have never been used in the first place. Despite what we’re told about the role of the courts and “innocent until proven guilty”, the word of a policeman is good enough to convince these prominent leaders about who needs to be locked up. That runs contrary to everything that we’re taught a democracy should look like. Police Commissioner Howard Broad has said in the media that the problem with everyday law like the Crimes Act or the Arms Act is that they can’t be used before a potential crime has been committed or is even in its planning stages. So Commisioner Broad wants terror laws to give police the power to arrest people who have done nothing and are planning nothing. When a senior policeman talks like that, everyone who believes in liberty of conscience or expression should be worried. This kind of “pre-emptive policing” sounds like something from a science fiction movie. Unlike in the Spielberg film Minority Report, though, the cops won’t be acting on the basis of information from psychics. They will be acting on their own personal prejudices and willingness to believe in an imaginary “terrorist threat”. No thoughtcrime Helen Clark is going around saying that these are “serious” charges remaining under the Arms Act. But it’s well known that some of those on firearms charges aren’t accused of firing or even owning an unlicenced gun - but simply being in the same room as someone who was holding an unlicenced gun. If that information got out further, this attempt to sow mass panic about a “terrorist evil in our midst” would be stopped in its tracks. The basis of terror laws is what George Orwell called “thoughtcrime” - that police should have the right to punish people who are even considering acting in a certain way. Those who support terror laws want to make it illegal for people to even think about acting against the State - a threat to not just Pakeha anarchists or Tuhoe nationalists, but everyone who doesn’t have faith that “our own” government, army and police are right all the time about everything. The Terror Laws must be abolished - before they are used against any of us who doesn’t shut up and do what they’re told. We need to build the biggest possible political movement against these anti-democratic laws - and the corporate politicians in Labour and National who support them.

'For freedom fighters around the country', says Tame Iti

Friday November 09, 2007 By Edward Gay

Freed Tuhoe activist Tame Iti thanked his supporters in emotional scenes outside the Auckland High Court this evening.

After beating terror charges yesterday, Iti was released on bail from the Auckland High Court just after 5pm this evening.

"It's for freedom fighters all around the country. Thank you for your support," Iti told his followers.

Earlier, Justice Cooper approved his bail amid scenes of high excitement from Tuhoe supporters.

Iti and four others, who were also released on bail, will return to the Auckland District Court on December 3.

The five are facing firearms charges following the Solicitor-General David Collins' decision yesterday not to allow police to bring terrorism charges against any of the 'Urewera 16'.

The accused had their bail hearings heard in two groups with four people - Valerie Morse, Emily Bailey, Omar Hamed and a Swiss national who has name suppression - receiving bail, before Iti entered the dock.

Iti then received a separate bail hearing and was awarded bail.

The decisions sparked scenes of jubilation in the court, forcing Justice Cooper to remind the public that his courtroom was not a place for such scenes.

Their successful bail application followed that of a co-accused, 38-year-old Whiri Kemara, who was bailed this morning.

In a dramatic afternoon, all members of the public and the media were asked to leave the courtroom while the crown prosecutor presented secret police evidence in relation to the bail application against the accused to the court.

Justice Cooper said that the five accused faced charges under the Arms Act which carry a maximum sentence of four years in prison and up to $5000 in fines.

No terror charges for the Urewera 17!

The Solicitor-General has decided not to authorise the police to prosecute the "Urewera 17" under the Terrorism Suppression Act. The Solicitor General has also endorsed the argument of Socialist Worker that the current TSA is an inoperative piece of legislation. Now most of the Urewera 17 are charged with only offences under the Firearms Act - most of which seem to be only charges of handling an unlicenced firearm, and most of which seem to relate to one and the same firearm. Unless the police can show any evidence that any of them are liable to harm people or evade prosecution, there is now no longer any justification to keep any of these people in jail without trial. Bail them all - NOW! No terror charges to be laid by police Solicitor General David Collins QC announced this afternoon the cases did not warrant prosecution under the Terrorism Suppression Act. 4:03PM Thursday November 08, 2007 By Edward Gay The police are not charging any of the so-called Urewera 16 under the Terrorism Suppression Act, despite using the legislation to search homes last month. Police took 12 of the 16 cases to the Solicitor General last month who assessed the police's evidence. Solicitor General David Collins QC announced this afternoon that the cases did not warrant prosecution under the act but could go ahead under the Arms Act. Mr Collins told a media conference that he had read hundreds of pages of communications and viewed photographs and video footage. "Regrettably not all the evidence I have been able to see will be made public," Mr Collins said. "The key reason I am not prepared to authorise prosecutions under the act is there is insufficient evidence to establish to the very high standard required that a group was preparing a terrorist act," Mr Collins said. He said his decision was not a criticism of the police who had no doubt "put an end to disturbing activities". Mr Collins criticised the legislation and said it should be reviewed by the Law Commission. He said it was complex and incoherent and was almost impossible to apply to domestic terrorists. But he said a lot of the evidence will be made public during the up-coming trials. "Police were following proper practice under the Terrorism Supersession Act," Mr Collins said. Peter Williams QC is representing residents of Ruatoki who have complained about the way armed police searched their homes last month. Mr Williams said the Solicitor General's decision was a wise one and he was personally pleased with it. "In a small way they have contributed to the hysteria possibly being emitted by certain aspects of the prosecution but on the other hand it's not the issue the people of Ruatoki are looking at, they're looking at whether or not there was a form of terrorism by the police themselves," Mr Williams said.

Mass meeting of Civil Rights Defence Campaign

Monday November 5, 7.30pm,
Methodist Chapel, Queen St,
Opposite Auckland Town Hall

SPECIAL GPJA FORUM WITH GUEST SPEAKER JANE KELSEY
AND DEFENCE CAMPAIGN PLANNING MEETING – ALL WELCOME

We want everyone to come to this meeting if they can. Jane will update us all on the current legal situation and the implications for civil liberties in New Zealand. We will also be planning the next steps of the campaign to stop the use of the terror laws and get the arrested out of prison.

ORGANISING MEETINGS
AUCKLAND: Civil Rights Defence Committee,
6pm, Tuesdays, Unite House, Level 12, 300 Queen St
WELLINGTON: Weekly support group meetings - open to all - 6pm Tuesdays at 128 Abel Smith St

Guantanamao, Aotearoa

Powerful TV3 extended footage of today's protest HERE

How the Labour "left" deals with criticism

Labour delegate (and formerly leading figure in the Alliance) Len Richards swings a megaphone at protestors outside the NZ Labour Party conference in Takapuna today. The protestors were there in solidarity with the Urewera 17, and wanted answers from trade union delegates as to whether they would raise the issue inside. The current debate over the powers of the police to close down debate is certainly showing who's on whose side. Note the quote in the article below by Jill Ovens, another Labour delegate and former Alliance leader. Conference protesters allege assault By COLIN ESPINER - Stuff.co.nz | Saturday, 3 November 2007 A protest outside Labour's annual conference in Auckland has turned ugly, with with assault allegations against conference delegates, police confrontation and several arrests. Around 150 protesters have gathered outside the doors of the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna, on Auckland's North Shore, in a noisy demonstration against the Government's Suppression of Terrorism Amendment Bill. Protesters alleged that a Labour Party delegate assaulted one of their number while one man was dragged away by police in handcuffs after leaping on a police van. Television camereas appear to show Labour Party delegate Len Richards picking up a megaphone and striking a protester in the face. Waitamata police inspector Paul Marshall confirmed a protester had lodged a complaint with police against a Labour Party delegate, for the alleged assault. Marshall said police would view television footage of the incident before deciding whether to bring charges. Some are wearing combat gear and others are clad in orange boiler suits chained together with gags in their mouths and the words "terrorist" or "anarchist" on their backs. The group is chanting "Helen Clark terrorist" and "no more police state". The protest swelled from just a handful at 9am, and by late morning around 150 had gathered. Police had to call in at least 60 reinforcements after a group tried to break the line and move towards the conference centre. Labour delegates gathered for the party's 91st conference had to run a gauntlet of cries of "shame" as they entered the venue, where they discussing remits on economic and housing policy this morning. A man was arrested for repeatedly attempting to break the police line and spitting in the face of a police officer. Police said they arrested three people, two of whom would be released without charge. A third would be charged with assaulting an officer. Protesters and media swarmed over police as they struggled to hold one man to the ground, who was yelling "police scum". Protesters also claimed the police arrested a young man for performing a haka. Veteran activist John Minto said the protesters were angered by "completely provocative behaviour from the police. "Civil rights are protected by protest not police. Shame on the Labour Government for passing those laws." Minto said Labour delegates could not shrug their shoulders. "It was your party and your Prime Minister that passed these laws and who supported the police actions against Tuhoe." But Labour Party delegate and Service Workers' Union spokeswoman Jill Ovens said protesters did not understand that many in Labour did not support the terrorism bill. "The unions have consistently opposed the Terrorism Suppression Act and we have passed very strong resolutions calling for that action to be repealed. "But I don't support advocating the use of violence because it just turns people against our cause." Prime Minister Helen Clark is due to speak to the conference at 2pm and is yet to arrive at the venue. The protesters are also calling for the release of "political prisoners" arrested by police in the so-called anti-terrorism raids nationwide several weeks ago.