There was a wide range of people at the demonstration, including lots of university and high school students. At the start of the rally, Valerie Morse from Peace Action Wellington specifically drew attention to Helen Clark’s on-going committeemen to the war on terrorism. Just last week, she re-committed troops to Afghanistan for another 18 months and a Navy frigate to the Persian Gulf. Tali Williams from the Wellington Palestine Group then spoke about the links between the situation in Palestine and in Iraq. Tali was followed by MC Dissident, who did an amazing and inspiring anti-war rap. She was followed by the Olmecha Vocabulary Firm who preformed several rousing tunes to get people up and dancing. Food NOT bombs provided great food including split-pea soup, pumpkin soup, bread and salad for the hungry masses.

After doing some quick safety training, the crowd of about 150 marched to the new headquarters of the NZDF. This building is also the home of the SIS and immediately next door to the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) which operates the two ECHELON spy bases – one at Waihopai (Blenheim) one at Tanigmoana (Levin).

The march stopped traffic all along the way – doing mass sit-ins on Molesworth Street and Aitken Street. While assembled at the NZDF, the police attempted to arrest one young man for chalking on the building but were put off by the presence of a reporter who they similarly threatened with arrest. They subsequently let both go.

The crowd then moved off for visits to the Australian and US Embassies and the British High Commission. Along the way, many high school students joined the march. Again, the crowd did sit-ins along major inner city intersections and outside of the Embassies.

After leaving the Australian Embassy, the crowd broke into a sprint down to the US Embassy, thereby evading the police and forcing them to run. They were further forced into a fast goose-step up the hill to the British High Commission on Hill Street as the group was moving, evading rather than engaging with the excessive numbers of police.

On the eve of Helen Clark’s visit to Washington, the voices of resistance to New Zealand’s involvement in Bush’s wars is growing once again. On the streets today, for the first time, people chanted ‘NZ troops out of Afghanistan’.