GE crop decontamination attempted at Rotorua

Good one for having a go at them trees, and ignore the crap from people who havent got the balls to go there and do it themselves, please post more details about the arrests, charges and how the arrestees can be suported.

charge:
me for trespass and possesion of knife
Valerie for disorderly
Fillie for trespass
Bobo for resisting arrest and obstructing cops (supposedly for preventing the arrest of fillie)

The cops were very aggresive and arrested people claiming we crossed imaginary lines. They used capsicum (OC) spray on Bobo which is the first time that we know that such spray has been used at a political protest in Aotearoa. They severly injured Fillie spraining her wrist and bruising her arms and legs causing abrasions.

The behaviour of police and security at the protest was both verbally and physically violent towards a peaceful protest group that included young children.

The main intention of the local group was to draw their communities' attention to existence of the trees; this was achieved. Future actions should be more effective in showing that the trees are unwanted now that locals are aware of their presence.

The location of the field trial is at the Forest Research Institute, 8 Sala St, Rotorua.

Greetings from Melbourne and respect to you all. Wish I was there!

We'd like to do a feature on this, but there is a lot of contradictory information floating around. Did people actually go there to destroy the pine trees, or just to have a look? It doesn't look like people are armed with tree destroying gear [though I guess we are talking about saplings?].

Is there any other information about the field trials available?

miffy likes to play at night time..

Good one!
I heard the local kaumautua were being blackmailed by the company who planted the GE pine trees to say to stop the GE Free Convergence Hui last weekend otherwise they were going to sabotage the Treaty negotiations, Is that true?

they will be gone
oh yes they will be gone

http://www.dailypost.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3622179&thesection=l...

Anti-GM protesters arrested in Rotorua
31.01.2005

By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest against a field trial of genetically
modified trees in Rotorua turned ugly yesterday with four people arrested.

Police used pepper spray to subdue one man who resisted arrest after protesters
ignored warnings against crossing a tree line at Rotorua's Forest Research campus.

The actions of the protesters disappointed police who said it was supposed to be a
"passive and responsible" march.

Local organisers said the actions of some showed how strongly people felt about the
issue, but Forest Research scientists are vowing to continue with the GM trials.

About 40 protesters from around the country carried banners and chanted as they
marched from Tarawera Rd, Rotorua to the Forest Research complex.

Six police officers and four security guards formed a line in front of trees at
Forest Research and warned the protesters they would be charged if they stepped into
the area.

The march was part of a weekend meeting hosted by the Rotorua movement of the
People's Moratorium Enforcement Agency.

Senior Sergeant Anna Jackson said the Rotorua branch had planned a peaceful protest
aimed at raising awareness, rather than disorder or damage.

Three of the four arrested were from Wellington. A 20-year-old woman was charged
with trespass, a 20-year-old man was charged with trespass and possession of a knife
and a 33-year old woman was charged with disorderly behaviour. A 24-year-old
Auckland man was charged with obstructing police and resisting arrest. All four have
been bailed to appear in the Rotorua District Court tomorrow.

"It is a shame a few thoughtless outsiders have spoiled the weekend for them," Mrs
Jackson said.

But GE Free Rotorua spokeswoman Ana Navidad said she was happy with the protest.

"I think we have done what we wanted to do ... it is always disappointing when there
are arrests. People feel very strongly about this issue and that is what happens.
But getting arrested is not the intention."

Ms Navidad said the protesters did not know which trees were genetically engineered
because Forest Research had not disclosed where its field trials were being carried
out.

"The public has a right to know where these trees are and how close they are to
their homes and families.

"Supposedly Forest Research went through a consultation process but the public don't
know it is here."

She said there was no guarantee the field trial would not contaminate the
environment with genetically modified organisms. Ms Navidad likened using a field
trial to evaluate the environmental risks to starting a bush fire to find out how
badly it burned.

"How is it possible that New Zealanders have been saying no to GE for more than five
years, yet this project is being funded with taxpayers' money? This is being driven
against the wishes of the New Zealand public for corporate profit."

Forest Research chief operating officer for science, Dr Tom Richardson, said the
protest would not stop the trials.

"These trials have been underway for several years ... it will not alter our plans
for the trials."

Dr Richardson said Forest Research was happy for the protesters to go to the grounds
for yesterday's march. There were no Forest Research staff present.

"We weren't going to stop a peaceful protest but we did have security measures in
place in case it was not peaceful, or if the experiments were interfered with. If
people want to protest peacefully, then we respect their request to do that."

I also heard FRI sent a spy to the hui.

FRI did try to blackmail local kaumatua who have a Treaty claim on the land to put pressure on Apumoana marae to kick us out - dodgy.
FRI also sent someone to the hui who distributed pro GE/anti PMEA literature and took photos at the protest and at the marae - very dodgy.
Not to mention the aggressive, anonymous and sexually harrassing behaviour of the FRI security goons. All in all, unsurprising response from a dodgy organisation who have no intention of stopping the trials.
But we know where the trials are now, we know that the trees are small and warped due to being in the greenhouse for too long so are particularly sensitive, and we know there are two very convenient mounds next to the fence from which to lob things over if you were so inclined.

The Rotorua court house, police station and a school were torched last night. I guess there's no connection with the GE protest arrests?

Fuck schools, they are just another capatalist factory.

Burn baby burn!

I don't think the AntiGE protesters would've torched a school/building. The people who did get arrested were very responsible and wouldn't do such a thing. If anything was to be torched, it would've been most likely to be the FRI building or the saplings, but the idea of setting a forest on fire is absolutely ridiculous! We don't even know if they are the actual GE modified trees or not. Think about it: setting a forest on fire, does that seem logical to do when you are a bunch of tree loving enviromentally friendly hippies??*

When we were travelling back up to Auckland from the protest, we did see some grafiti on a dilapidated petrol station that read :"GE TREES 8 SALA ST"** with an arrow pointing in the direction of the forest.

Hmm, the FRI spy is a strange story. It was agreed upon that he was a dodgy bloke that came to the hui, but according to a relation, he's actually just an anti-social guy who likes to take photographs and can't communicate well with others. He meant well by coming to the meetings, and only gave out the literature just so the Anti-GE Trees people could share the knowledge and know what FRI had been giving their workers. The relation did say that the FRI 'spy' loves taking photographs of everything and he probably looked a bit dodgy when he couldn't asnwer the questions only because he's rather anti-social and doesn't know how to communicate well with others. Kudos to the misunderstood FRI 'spy' guy!

We saw Bobo the other day and he said it was just like court usually is, so it seems as if all's well.

Oh yeah, Miffy RAWKS.

*No disregard to Tree Loving Enviromentally Friendly Hippies, I am one myself.

** Or something along those lines

Apparently, the kaumatua at the marae the group were staying at was also the local police seargant. He attended all of the planning meetings, and despite telling the group that he was on their side and wouldn't grass them up, he told the Rotorua cops what was going on and consequently they were out there waiting for the protestors to arrive.

WAKE UP PEOPLE - A COP IS A COP!!! It seems very naive that you continued the planning despite knowing that he was a cop. Better luck next time...