I have to say, this clearly racist policing makes me furious! I thumped the table and swore loudly when the report came in.

Strypes

THE POLICE NEED TO STOP STEALING OUR MATES!! What a disgrace today shown not only by the NZ Police but also for the SFWU having Len act violently and hit not only a young man but also a woman in her 60's, what the fuck is our country coming to?

Former Alliance Party members Richards and Ovens show their true blue colours! I agree with Strypey - the police are racist dogs of the state.

This is what happens when you start backing Labour as the "lesser evil" - you end up punching protestors in the face or backing the people who do. This whole disaster has at least had the good side-effect of showing who's the real socialist or radical left, and who are tame backers of establishment violence (while decrying everyone else's violence).

At least National stabs you in the front I say.

True words spoken there

So I guess what this is saying is you can assault someone and get away with it as long as you are a member of the Labour Party.....

Either that, or you can do things like abuse and antagonise a peaceful protest, as long as you're just a normal person and not a cop.
Are there laws against other people obstructing your democratic rights?

It's assault regardless.

Politically disoriented, some ashamed, some aggressive- EPMU, SFWU delegates all over the place. "Chris Traitor", Len Richards, Darian Fenton, Jill Ovens- all over the place.

Fair play to the SFWU people who resigned their labour party membership in disgust.

A huge chasm is opening on the Left, and the Labour party loyalists are on the wrong side.

www.tv3.co.nz/News/NationalNews/ProtestersclashwithpoliceoutsideLabourPartyconference/tabid/423/articleID/38384/Default.aspx

tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/NationalVideo/tabid/309/articleID/38384/Default.aspx

Jared, an organiser with UNITE and a WP member.
Bronwyn, A Green party member and John Minto's partner
Jen, an organiser with the SFWU

it is also a point that Richards is at University of Auckland's Sociology Department, itself under scrutiny following similar incidents of an Administrator having her rubbish bin kicked and a disabled student's modified hair vandalized when he spoke out, against these forms of discrimination...a shame on unionism
This

This L Richards is at University of Auckland's Sociology Department, itself under scrutiny following similar incidents of an Administrator having her rubbish bin kicked and a disabled student's modified chair vandalized when he spoke out, against these forms of discrimination...a shame on unionism

ie nose to nose and in your face...

Police express regret for their provocative action at Labour Party Conference protest
Submitted by gpja on Sat, 11/03/2007 - 01:53.

3 November 2007

Media Release:

No charges to be laid against three arrested

GPJA is pleased the police indicated regret for provocative action on their part which led to rising tension and ultimately the arrest of two people outside the Labour Party conference in Auckland today.

Three arrests were made altogether and we are pleased no charges are to be laid. The three were instead detained on breach of the peace and processed without charges being laid.

The tension rose when police, without warning, began to push people away from the centre.

We were pleased that several Labour Party members spoke privately with protestors to express deep concern at the use of so-called “anti-terror laws” under Labour’s watch. This included a member of the Labour Party Maori Policy Council who addressed the crowd.

A complaint of assault has been laid with the police against a conference attendee who assaulted a female protestor.

The protest called for the repeal of the Terrorism Suppression Act of 2002 and its various off-shoots which have resulted in drastically increased powers of surveillance for the police and Security Intelligence Service as well as big increases in resourcing.

These are George Bush’s laws imposed on New Zealand by the Labour government over the past six years.

Some of those arrested in the so-called anti-terror raids three weeks ago were at the protest along with family members.

John Minto
Spokesperson
Ph (09) 8463173 (H)
(09) 8452132 (W)

Labour has let us down again.
Last time they sold out bigtime to a bunch of large overseas companies who have been skimming every New Zealander's wealth.
This time they've sold out to the political agenda of the largest, most oppressive and most corrupt empire the world has ever seen.
New Zealanders are famous for calling a spade a fucking shovel.
Sadly our Labour government has been publically condemning the Iraq war while tacitly supporting it and the illegal structure on which it depends.
Today's mental image is Helen Clark and Don Brash, zombie stylez:

Riff Raff	It's astounding Time is fleeting Madness takes its toll But listen closely
Magenta	Not for very much longer
Riff Raff	I've got to keep control I remember doing the Time Warp Drinking those moments when The blackness would hit me
Riff and Magenta	And the void would be calling
Chorus	Let's do the Time Warp again Let's do the Time Warp again
Criminologist	It's just a jump to the left
Chorus	And then a step to the right
Criminologist	With your hands on your hips
Chorus	You bring your knees in tight But it's the pelvic thrust That really drives you insane Let's do the Time Warp again Let's do the Time Warp again
Magenta	It's so dreamy Oh, fantasy free me So you can't see me No, not at all In another dimension With voyeuristic intention Well secluded, I see all
Riff Raff	With a bit of a mind flip
Magenta	You're into the time slip
Riff Raff	And nothing can ever be the same
Magenta	You're spaced out on sensation
Riff Raff	Like you're under sedation
Chorus	Let's do the Time Warp again Let's do the Time Warp again
Columbia	Well I was walking down the street Just a having a think When a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise He had a pick up truck and the devil's eyes He stared at me and I felt a change Time meant nothing, never would again
Chorus	Let's do the Time Warp again Let's do the Time Warp again
Criminologist	It's just a jump to the left
Chorus	And then a step to the right
Criminologist	With your hands on your hips
Chorus	You bring your knees in tight But it's the pelvic thrust That really drives you insane Let's do the Time Warp again Let's do the Time Warp again

www.youtube.com/watch

what on earth was wrong with the valerie in the raw post? FFS! what a bunch of twisted knickers. your ed policy needs some work. lots.

Amazing photography, powerful images! Go the protesters!!

Bloody awesome images. Way 2 go people. Solidarity ... 2 much. Damn great organisation 2.

cool, go the pigs

www.unityaotearoa.blogspot.com

www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00069.htm

Thanks for keeping us updated on this issue Indymedia. Ta.

Can you please confirm that ALL that were arrested today ie the young man doing the haka are released!!! The media shows clearly that the old Labour fart was resonsible for the assault and the arrest of the young man doing the haka is ABSOLUTELY WRONG ,it was very destressing to see this so an update would be appreciated. Also what the hell are the big bully police doing to all , they saw as we did on TV the assault

From a statement published last week by Richards:

Some questions must be asked, however. The first question that arises is; did the police act judiciously in their 'invasion' of the Tuhoe country, given the past history of the Maori of that area? The second question is; are draconian anti-terror laws that could potentially outlaw hitherto legitimate political activities necessary to deal with such a threat, whether real or perceived?

The answer to both questions must be a resounding; No!

POLICE ARE CORRUPT WELL IF THIS DOESNT SHOW IT SHAME ON LABOUR & POLICE

Kia kaha whanau!

Inspector Les Paterson, commander of the North Shore Police, said it was extremely disappointing that some members of the protest groups had claimed police had been provocative or heavy-handed.

"Police were incredibly tolerant and part of their role is to facilitate the right to free speech," he said.

www.stuff.co.nz/4260752a11.html

Yeah right!

Take care to all those that did a fantastic protest today , my whanau support to you aal. I hope that thoses of you that were assaulted and wrongfully arrested get heaps of support.

Helen Clarke and her party encourage her MP's and others to be violent and they get away with it because the police state have two laws in this country , one for them , one for others. The incosistencies are of concern .Arrest Len Richards and Trevor Mallard !!! and Helen or are the police blind and dumb

tumeke whanau! The protestors conducted themselves with dignity, keep it up & don't react to provocation. The pigs & The labour party's true colors are obvious to the whole nation! The underlying plan to brand the best people of our nation "terrorists"is backfiring splendidly. The fact that the labour party & the pigs are racist facists is laid bare for all to see...chur!

Well, looks like Len Richards is in a bit of shit then. His blog newsoc.blogspot.com/ seems to say the right stuff, but I guess he is just another dickhead labour supporter. Interesting that that assault is more physical harm than any of the 16 accused ever caused.

what also doesnt seem to have been said was that while we were at the protest today, which was very orderly although noisy,was that the assault and arrests happened in the final minutes. basically John minto called out that we would be there for another 5 minutes and then about 4 minutes later Richards whacks somone in the face and the two people, who I wont name here, who verbally confronted him as he was permitted to cross back over the police lines were arrested. it was nuts. then those who sat on the footpath in protest at the arrests were manhandled by the police. Also i personally saw some of the labour party delegates inside giving the finger to the protesters. What a freaking joke. the street theatre was great tho disagree with what stuff said re "some were dressed in combat gear" There was one guy, who noone seemed to know who was dressed in military gear and was going on about fake terrorists. funny how as usually they ignore the many "normal" people who were there. inluding me and my two blond kids

The point of Len Richards (Labour Party delegate) talking to us was so that Jill Ovens (Northern Region Secretary for the SFWU) could talk to the crowd about some of the efforts within the unions to raise issues about what's going on.

Her efforts along with others resulted in the CTU calling for the repeal of the Terrorism Act in its entirety.

CTU Calls for Repeal of Terrorism Act
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0710/S00382.htm

To me it was fair enough for her to be able to talk to the crowd and I understand that a Labour MP did in fact talk previously.

It would be nice if people actually took a deep breath on all sides and ease up. Right now there are people in and out of jail, accused of crimes by the state that could result in a long time in jail. It's time for the New Zealand Left to start thinking, smarten up, and building bridges. And it's time to stop the sort of nonsense that occurred around the megaphone today.

We owe it to ourselves, to our friends, and our futures.

Richards should be held to account by the unions concerned and by the protest movement, not the police who represent the ruling class.
We want working class justice not bosses' justice!

Its time for the New Zealand left to smarten up and realise that the Labour Party is the enemy, always has been, always will be. People are in jail because of the Labour Government. No point in building bridges with the scum who lock us in prisons. I'm all for unity but lets leave labour party traitors out of it. They are not on our side.
Mr G

The labour party are the enemy, no question, but a lot of people don't realise that they are having their principles subverted. We have to deprogram the salvageable ones. The protest was the right thing to do, no question, but the apparatchiks will use it to tighten ranks.

Its not about 'building bridges' its about remembering that we're all still human and about saving the few that we can from a shitty system that sucks the best parts out of them.

If we have the strength of our convictions we don't need to hate them or any other 'scum' to do what is right. It's the police who need hate to function, not us.

Kieran.

"It would be nice if people actually took a deep breath on all sides and ease up.",,,,, that is precisely what would NOT be nice. that is about theee weakest thing done right now, the opposite is what is called for, dramatically. Why aren't there major traffic jams yet? (very effectice activism), why aren't there some serious punches being thrown back? because they speak one language, violence, and when you(Aotearoans) learn to speak it, they(filthy british pigs) will then listen.

Alex do your newest friends know your daddy is a millionair British Lord?

Seriously, do you guys think that bagging someone's family counts as a political argument? Helen Clark's folks are Tories, so I suppose that means she's in the wrong party according to your logic.

<em>because they speak one language, violence, and when you(Aotearoans) learn to speak it, they(filthy british pigs) will then listen.</em>

So wrong on so many levels. For those of us committed to peace all violence is wrong. But for those who are not, think tactically.

It is the police and the state who have the resources to use violence, not the people. Arming the people to undertake a violent campaign will trigger a horrific response. Study history!

The police were stupid not to arrest Richards from the footage I have seen (tho I was not there), and they have been acting like spoiled children harassing activists up and down the country. But a violent response will not make it better. These spoiled children have guns.

The state in Aotearoa does not have the spine to extend their use of violence into lethal violence at this point. The death squads are still in their barracks! If we fight back without violence we will be arrested, harassed and beaten, and eventually we will win.

If we fight back with violence we will be massacred. Win or loose. Dead is dead.

Get some sense. Learn from history. Do not repeat it.

peace
Worik

show police showed respect or perhaps support. would be interesting to see if ever there was vocal support. there was as usual a leader who is disconnected from reality and where people are at.

Kia Kaha,
False Charges, police protect Coal Barges

The Police seemed incredibly tolerant in the face of extreme, clearly deliberate and rather ugly provocation.

I wonder if it made those guys doing the Haka feel big screaming and getting up in the face of the small woman constable, would make their ancestors proud thats for sure. What men indeed.

Or the guy in the hoody right up screaming at the Maori cop in front of him and then spitting right in his face. How utterly disgusting. And then his mates try to attack the cops as well who just stand their passively telling them to calm down.

You looked like a bunch of violent animals deliberately going out to try and provoke the Police who remained in the face of it incredibly calm and restrained.

The only kudos here go to the Police, those at the protest in behaving and acting like thugs do no-one especially those arrested any good at all.

Oh yeh and I'm a police stooge, spy or whatever, just watch the videos and ask yourself whatever it was you initially stood for.

That fact is that this was a protest ,and that brings noise etc...to what I have read 'the delegrates were able to cross the ploice line and enter into the protesters space , the protesters were the tolerant ones , notice even in the videos and theres a few that firstly the woman and man took the megaphone , that the protester that wanted the megaphone back had his hands down by his sides , anyway the delegates Len & Chris should not have been able to cross that LINE. The HAKA incident , try and view it with different spectacles such as: the rangtahi was in the face ( kanohi ki te kanohi ) f a police officer (in fact he was in the face challeging another Maori ) the haka is intense , but not disrespectful , to interpret it as a spit is another error of ones understandings , I could be wrond but it didnt look like a deliberate act of spitting. Exercise caution , because everyone is caught up again that the young persons act was far garver than the actual assault of Len Richards. ( I also wonder whether our conditioning of the 'spit' and haka have again become morphed) REMEMBER THE ISSUE HAS BEEN THE PROCESSED THE SELECTED PROCESSES OF THE POLICE INSTITUTIONS , THIS IS CLEAR AGAIN IN THIS INCIDENT) it is extremely healthy to question what has happened from 15 October till now!!!

Many thanks for the great coverage of the protest.
Loved the orange Guantanamo Bay style jumpsuits - way to go!!
Couldn't agree more about doing the "Time Warp Again" - good one ! Well chosen.

"show police showed respect",,, what a laugh. Respect is earned.

I wasn't there and I'm not advocating violence, but it looks to me like Len had the megaphone pushed into his mouth- hard into his teeth, before he lashed out.
this is assault too, isn't it?

violence.....children....

btw..congratulations on another fine left vs left effort. the devils in the hills are laughing and the activists are still in jail. but, hey, what a party, and Lens in trouble. good one.

What glass lens did you have on ...take another long....g look at the video

//btw..congratulations on another fine left vs left effort. the devils in the hills are laughing and the activists are still in jail. but, hey, what a party, and Lens in trouble. good one.//

The shit that this Labour government is pushing is not Left. It's a joke to try and even argue that. They're the ones who put through the "Terrorist" legislation, they're the ones who have tripled the value of the rich list, they are the government that have seen income inequality grow under their watch...

Yeah, I think Helen sent him out to try to divide and conquer. Shes so much smarter than we are.

Shes so much smarter than we are.

Well you are sort of thick. Jamie Lockett is a liability, get rid of him and mean get rid of him.
.
His tapped conversations are a catalyst, - It seems most are you are upset no over nothing more than having your ranting taped and place under public scrutiny-
I have never walked the road most common; I am apolitical but when someone like locket threatens my family, well then I reserve the right to defend them at any cost- are you prepared to pay the price of your beliefs- whatever they are this week

the writer of this was obviously not there or is a "sfwu worker or u wouldnt have made so many errors

this site exists to counter non existent or erroneous coverage of mainstream media , check your facts before publishing , this site is for the truth

ERROR --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.

TRUTH - the assult by an uncontrolled labour party member is not alleged, it was real as there is proof of it (film footage -in case you missed the tv news see - see unityaotearoa.blogspot.com/ )

ERROR - Police had to call in at least 60 reinforcements after a group tried to break the line and move towards the conference centre.

TRUTH-- the peaceful protesters never moved from where we first gathered well outside the entrance doors, police were never needed, (except by protestors to defend ourselves from labour party members who are the only ones who showed violence). Conference attendees had easy access to the conference from the footpath with out needing to walk thru protestors. For some strange reason only known to the police they started bringing the numbers from 3 up to the 50 or 60 over the 3hr protest. They formed in a line in front of the protestors (between protestors and the entrance door) right in our face and started pushing and josling us trying to push us back we simply stood our ground.

ERROR -- 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.

TRUTH - I only remember only one protester in what could be termed combat gear , wearing a helmet and even he didnt have batons or weapons as no one did. The protest was peaceful but very very loud as we had a clear message about the labour partys new americanism anti terrorism laws being used for the wrong reason for spying on and to curtail peaceful acivists ligitemate rights of free speech. The police and labour party members are the only ones showing provocation, aggression and violence.
The orange boiler suits symbolised NZ activists kept prisoners under similar circumstances as those prisoners held in guantanamao bay for years, with no evidence and no trial. The word Terrorist was never used on any of the orange boiler suits. On the front and back were the words Tuhoe, Maori, Anarchist, Ecologist and YOU. Along with Pacifist and Unionist these symbolised the people that are being held in jail by the government under the anti terrorism act. The whole point of that was to show that now anybody can be held as a terrorist now under the dubious act.

ERROR -- Protesters and media swarmed over police as they struggled to hold one man to the ground, who was yelling "police scum".

TRUTH -- the first man arrested was repeatedly stating he hadnt done anything and was asking why he was being arrested, it was protesters who went to his defense that were yelling "police scum" . It was then the second protester was arrested.

(note the first protestor arrested, was arrested without reason but because he was in the way of the labour party persons (who did the assaulting) route to escape back past the police to the conference.

ERROR - A man was arrested for repeatedly attempting to break the police line and spitting in the face of a police officer.

Protesters also claimed the police arrested a young man for performing a haka.

TRUTH - These 2 sentences refer to the same person, this man the last protestor arrested was doing a haka. The reason the police gave for the arrest was assault (spitting) . This was because the police stood so close that they may have got saliva on them from a good performance. Remember it was the police who came up to and stood in front of the protestors face to face inches away. So yes he was arrested for doing a haka.

Hence the arrested protestors were released because they had no justifiable cause to arrest them and/or they police couldnt afford the bad publicity.

Incidently Helen Clark and any other prominent labour MPS sneaked in the back door. They didnt have the courage to walk in the front door past the protest. A large number of those labour members that did wore grins that could only show their contempt of free speech or their stupidity and ignorance of failed labour paty politics.

"The orange boiler suits symbolised NZ activists kept prisoners under similar circumstances as those prisoners held in guantanamao bay for years, with no evidence and no trial."

Well, that's moronic hyperbole that does nobody any good isn't it? There's two ways of looking at that position: it's either formed in total ignorance of the facts, or it is a willful and pathetic minimisation of the plight of the people ACTUALLY held in Guantanamo Bay.

Some NZ activists have been arrested, for reasons that don't appear to be being fully discussed anywhere by either side. They are being subjected to the normal legal due processes, involving the presentation of evidence to the courts by both prosecution and defense. Some have already been bailed based on a lack of strength in the police evidence against them on charges already brought, others have been remanded in custody.

Meanwhile, a bunch of morons are out there trying to make the activist community look as irrational, emotionally unstable and generally unhinged as possible. Good job, guys, keep patting yourselves on the back! I'm sure a public perception of an unhinged, aggressive activist community will be really useful for the defense when jury selection rolls round.

Firstly the first attempt to breach the police line was way before any scuffle happened with union members.secondly there were several protesters who were very physical in their protesting and in fact it was more good luck than good management that no injuries were forthcoming to people working up the footpath.Thirdly the protest was allowed space to protest when in fact police could have forced them to back away from the area that they were occupying,fourthly the bus that was used was in fact parked on the footpath, the police allowed them to remain so that a protest could take place.
It was obvious that the protesters had got what they wanted when a fracas broke out, because as soon as the media covered the altercation the protesters packed up and left
This was in fact at around 12.30 and the Prime Minister did not arrive until later, just before her 2pm speech.
as a final note.The protest was very small and the most notable were the people clad in orange jump suits who stood silent wearing gags.
as a protest goes their message was hard to understand and was in fact quite small.

Yes, Len Richards is a unpleasent dick-head, but he is against the Terrorism Suppression Act, I am sick to death of all this squabbling amongst the left.

The orange jump-suits and street theatre were inspired, but hysterical screaming is not. You hard-core lot are turning people off coming out, i know because I am one of the people who almost get there, but never do, because I find some protestors all so histrionic.

So far in terms of the battle for the opinions of middle nz, Marama Mayrick being so beautifully bewildered and normal upon her release, and the piece done by Mihinarangi Forbes on Campbell Live, with the brother of the accused from Ruatoki have done far more than any of you to expose the ridiculousness of these charges, and the proposed legislation.

You "almost get there, but never do".... Need I say more?

This site is now being regularly visited and commented on by a multitude of Labour party hacks, Helen's Stasi and the likes of Chris Traitor, Bomber and Len Richards...

Their puerile attempts to define themselves as Left are pathetic. There will be civil war in the Left over these terror Laws, and these scabs have chosen their side. Into the dustbin of history with them all.

May they drink alone in Galbraith's with their yuppy mates, whilst Omar languishes in Mount Eden Prison. No Left Turn, indeed, Chris...

Sounds like a definition of The Labour party Princes Street Branch. Fucking idiots

That chant of 'shame, shame, shame', must have really pissed off poor old Len, he must know Jarrod ( the guy he assaulted).
It looked to me as though there was something personal in it.
Any parasitic union bureaucrat who toadies to the Labour party, will crack when confronted with the reality of their actions.

You wankers really made the cops look good. They stood there stoically in the face of extreme provocation and made you look like the idiots you are.

Any sympathy that anyone had towards your cause has been dissipated by fools screaming into the faces of Police.

Who organised the fiasco? Are they really on your side?

99.9% of New Zealanders are laughing at you>

99.9% - I don't think so. And the protesters at least weren't armed to the teeth, wearing military gear with military rifles ... and they weren't breaking down doors and locking down an entire community ... and they weren't covert, sinister or secretive. They were in-your-face, up front, OPEN and HONEST!!!!!!!!

Remember the good book? Let he who has no sin cast the first stone. We all know who cast the first stone in this whole affair.

Who tidys up this site?

Why has that "Minto's bitch" comment been left up?
Get your act together,

Don Franks

Two of the regular editors are in jail

The above commenter is correct - 2 of the 3 most active editors/writers for AIMC are currently in jail, and the third (me) is in Auckland for the hearings & to visit them (and others) in prison, meaning I have very limited computer access.

If people spot something they think should be hidden (see the Editorial Policy for reasons things are hidden), please DO NOT post a comment about / in reply to it. Instead, please email us at imc-aotearoa-ed (at) lists.indymedia.org with a link to the post/comment and the reason you think it should be hidden, and we'll endeavour to uphold the editorial policy as fast as we can.

In solidarity at this stressful and very busy time,
Asher
Aotearoa Indymedia Editorial Collective

Darling Don Franks, you are calling for censorship, all comments must stand whether you like them or not- else what credibility does this sad site have- you certainly have no credibility with your censorship calls- clown.
The fact that two of the people who ran this site are now incarcerated, waiting to stand trial and waiting to be charged with offensives, that could see them server substantial time in jail. Well it just makes you wonder at the buffoonery of these people, fools and there followers.
And Minto's bitch is an appt description of her, John Minto is one of New Zealand’s most worthless people, he is the pimple on the arse of society- a professional trouble maker with a rent a crowd mentality

"a professional trouble maker with a rent a crowd mentality "

That sentence makes absolutely no concrete sense at all. It's just "bad person" buzzwords strung together. This is the standard of right-wing argument.

Also: Jill Ovens would have got less of a hard time if she hadn't gone straight to the anarchist bloc on the demo. That wasn't the audience that would be prepared to give anyone in the Labour Party a fair hearing at the best of times, and she should have known that.

"It's just "bad person" buzzwords strung together. This is the standard of right-wing argument."

It also seems to be the standard of left-wing argument on Indymedia, articles and comments alike. Reading the comments here is like Kiwiblog in a mirror.

That sentence makes absolutely no concrete sense at all. It's just "bad person" buzzwords strung together. This is the standard of right-wing argument.

And your statement a contradiction of itself- labelling people right wingers is a trade trite don't you thinks.

Jill Ovens didn't get a hard time, she sort out trouble and found it.- this is agent provocateur stuff, the rent a crowd methodology is to create strife and then step back into the crowd and claim your a victim- I think David Icke sums them up nicely with his "Problem, Reaction, Solution" explanations of the Jill Ovens of this world
Have you ever wondered my every demonstration that the rent a crowds are involved, ends up in violence and that violence in turn leads to greater police powers.. Read some of David Ickes books and you will start to understand what these people are and who they or what they really support

Lizards?

Yes, Lizards.

'... part of their role is to facilitate the right to free speech.'

I would like to show the police some respect by speaking some home truths,

It was wrong to arrest a young man for doing a haka.
It was wrong to kill a man with a hammer in Otautahi only four short weeks ago.
The racist, sexiest attitudes I have witnessed in police contributes to the violence we experience everyday living in an elected dictorship.
You are being given money to crack skulls to maintain a corrupt power structure.
Each of you is individually responsible for all your actions. They have tried to dehumanise you with a uniform, to deflect responsibility. It doesn't work.
Please consider the wider context of your actions, of Tino Rangatiratanga, of the global movement for change. What will you tell your great grandchildren?

At the end of the day,
Those who do it for love will win.

I would like to show the police some respect by speaking some home truths,

It was wrong to arrest a young man for doing a haka.

Why do you lie, its all on tape. He spat right in the face of a young Maori cop who had ignored to that point all the disgusting provocation and abuse he had been subjected too. He had mana and respect, you have neither.

I walked into the Labour Party conference as a worker and a union delegate. I've been a union member for the last 16 years and while I don't always agree with Labour I think we need to use every avenue we have to make people's lives better. National would not have raised the minimum wage by more than 60%. National would not have extended annual leave to four weeks. National would not worked to halve unemployment to 3.4%. It's not perfect, but when you're a working person you realise spitting at union delegates and calling them scabs is not going to improve anything.

I walked into the conference having 'shame' and 'scab' yelled at me, and then went straight into a meeting where we discussed what mechanisms to implement to help improve the lot of low paid workers like myself and my workmates.

But I suppose that isn't important when you're a middle class university student waiting for the revolution.

that cop stood his ground and kept his cool, others didnt. the footage doesnt show him deliberatly spitting.

how come he was arrested and len richards wasnt?
thats the kinda stuff along with rape and violence (such as shooting ppl dead) that gets the police a bad wrap.

you are right the maori (i presume he was maori) cop who the haka was directed at was well behaved on the day, he is not the kind of cop people hate. it is sad he is a cop and not supporting the protestors - but thats his choice.

:)

'
I walked into the Labour Party conference as a worker and a union delegate. I've been a union member for the last 16 years and while I don't always agree with Labour I think we need to use every avenue we have to make people's lives better. National would not have raised the minimum wage by more than 60%. National would not have extended annual leave to four weeks. National would not worked to halve unemployment to 3.4%. It's not perfect, but when you're a working person you realise spitting at union delegates and calling them scabs is not going to improve anything.

I walked into the conference having 'shame' and 'scab' yelled at me, and then went straight into a meeting where we discussed what mechanisms to implement to help improve the lot of low paid workers like myself and my workmates.

But I suppose that isn't important when you're a middle class university student waiting for the revolution. '

or a middle class university student sitting in mt eden.

fuck off state apologist!

See that's the level of your argument. And it's pathetic. The Labour Party does not control the police - there's a separation of powers. If they were telling the police who they could or couldn't arrest you'd be protesting about that.

The terrorism laws are not supported universally in Labour. That's something Jill Ovens was trying to tell your lot before they shouted her down.

The people inside the conference were a naturally sympathetic audience - the broad left of NZ. If you're going to make a difference then you need to win them over to your point of view. Instead you were bashing on the windows, screaming at them and calling them scabs. You've alienated them all, and hurt your cause immensely.

It's just stupid politics.

If the police aren't answerable to our elected representatives, then we have a serious problem.

What are the opponents of the terrorism laws within Labour actually achieving, other than continuing to support a party that's ignoring your concerns because you can't see any alternative other than National?

But I suppose that isn't important when you're a middle class university student waiting for the revolution. '

or a middle class university student sitting in mt eden.

Rock on brother, they are silver spooners, you can smell the stench of their parents wealth everytime they open their well fed mouths.

Little white rich kids shouting for revolution, makes you want to puke.

XOR

All political parties [and their scab apologists] eventually die from swallowing their own lies.
- J. Arbuthnot

It's not true to say there was an atmosphere of simple hostility to delegates on Saturday. John Minto began the protest by saying 'We know there are some good people in Labour, we want them to stand up on this issue'. And delegates were challenged to stand up for civil liberties inside the conference.

Len came out early on, chatted to protesters, and wasn't harrassed. But when he rememerged with Jill Ovens he and she chose to harangue the crowd with a megaphone in a paternalistic 'you sill children, we're taking care of this' manner. Jill should have come to planning meetings and coordinated an intervention inside the conference with the protest. But she didn't do this, and the reason is that she, like the Labour member who has just commented, didn't want a visible protest at all, because they thought it'd take some of the polish off Labour's conference PR.

If there wasn't an 'atmosphere of simple hostility' to conference delegates then why was I shouted at and called a scab as I entered the conference? You guys have no bloody idea how you come across to ordinary people and until you figure out how to better win people over to your views you're going to be standing outside yelling in for a long time to come. As a union delegate I was highly insulted to be called a scab and shouted at for attacking workers rights. The shame is on you and your whole crowd. You've lost a lot of potential supporters.

So... what you're saying is, that because some anarchists yelled at you, you've changed your mind and Omar Hamed and Tame Iti can rot in jail for all you care? That's an incredibly arrogant and self-centred excuse for "politics" you've got there.

This isn't a question of whether you like the radical left or not. It's a question of basic civil rights. Don't blame us when it's you who's in Mt Eden for two years without trial.

I think we can agree that everyone who opposes the terror raids and laws should be working together. I don't think anyone sane will be happy about last Saturday's bust-up. I think that the last commenter and everyone else with strong views about this issue should come to the meeting tonight at the Methodist mission and sort things out.

It is very positive that the SFWU wanted to take a stand on this issue. We don't want to get in a position where the union leadership has an excuse to backtrack. We want them coming to planing meetings and contributing to events.

Jill should have come to the planning meeting for last Saturday's protest and discussed her intervention. And she and other delegates should have raised the issue inside the conference, instead of giving Helen a standing ovation.

Maybe protesters do need to ask questions about slogans. I think John Minto's approach was better than the branding of everyone in Labour as scabs.
But it's easy to say that in retrospect. To be fair, there were Labour delegates insulting the protesters from behind the police lines. A group of them gave Tuhoe protesters the finger. Some laughed when protesters were arrested. Labour leaders like Michael Cullen went out of their way to mock the protesters. The deployment of 60 aggressive cops also turned the mood ugly. Let's remember that the protesters in many cases have friends who are in jail. They've a right to be angry.

But do we all agree that there needs to be a United Front of all opposed to the terror laws and raids, whether they're in Labour or not?

Anon, thanks for your comments. I agree with you entirely. I just fear it might be too late.

I don't see what union bosses can do in this case except issue a strongly worded statement. It's no longer legal to strike for political reasons in NZ. Union bosses aren't going to bite the hand that feeds them. Thus, it's in their interest to stand by and applaud when they should be protesting this very serious issue.

I have no desire to see a united front with neo-liberal capitalists like ACT or rats that haven't jumped off Labour's sinking ship. More is not always better. A united front is a Stalinist invention which is usually trotted out by those who are afraid the movement will get out of (their) control.

I'll change my mind if I see these people on the other side of the police lines. Or rallying workers. Or simply boycotting the conference and turning in their membership cards. Until that point, they are complicit by default.

RE:
Stalin Fart
Slime Shitter
Drone Hive
Nazi Land

Dear Mrs Slime Shitter,

things have gone from bad to worse since you were elected to govern naziland in November 1999. You attempted to appease the US by accepting their proposal that naziland adopt 'anti-terror laws' after 9/11. This policy was passed and enacted in 2003 in order to prosecute Bruce Hubbard who, 6 months earlier, had posted an email to the US embassy in Wellington stating US involvement in international terrorism and the establishment of 72 capitalist dictatorships.

It wasn't long ago you referred to yourself as a 'social-democrat', yet I am convinced this is untenable in light of your actions since November 1999. Your reluctance to ensure a democratic process for the 17 arrested on October 15th exposes your desire not to annoy white middle naziland right before elections. Your desire to remain Slime Shitter reflects the ambition for power you have had since you were 15 years.

Mrs Stalin Fart - all you have effectively done since November 1999 is ensure that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few while shrouding your policies in a veil of democracy. Your latest inactions however diminish your ability to hide the repressive measures you never stopped using as the majority of naziland - those who have less to lose - begin to see your role with greater clarity.

'I agree with you entirely. I just fear it might be too late'

There's no reason why this has to be. This issue is not going to go away and, except last Saturday's incident, the left had been working very well together over it. At last week's Defence Cmtee meeting a lot of people talked about the spirit of unity on the march to Mt Eden. Apparently SFWU staff are petitioning Jill to patch things up with GPJA/CRDC and not just end contact with them. Len has apologised, as of course he needed to do. I think that leading members of GPJA/CRDC realise the importance of unity. There may be a handful of people who have the view that there should be no contact with Labour Party members, but theirs is an ultra-left position, and I think it'll be marginalised.

Some of the people in prison are ultra-left* and i have no interests in selling them out. If people in the labour party want to get involved, great, but I won't be prepared to water down my politics or that of my prisoner friends to get their support.

This campaign isn't just about liberal individualist civil rights, its also about challenging the dirty racist under tones of our society.

If there is anytime that the radical left need some extra support from the more conservative left, it is now. Our friends and whanau are in prison, our homes have been raided and lives been turned upside down. I believe that most people are supportive, but for those that aren't, don't expect people to kiss your arses. Theres only so much some of us can handle right now without burning out, and that ain't part of it.

*Don't really like using left/right, doesn't really say that much these days.

So you won't work with Labour supporters, despite the fact that a big majority of New Zealand workers still support Labour? I know many Labour supporters who were on the march to Mt Eden Prison - would you have not wanted them there? One of the Ureweras 17 is a member of the Labour Party - should we withdraw support for that person? Labour delegate Shane Te Pou spoke out on national television against the terror
laws - should we reject him as a 'rat'?

And what about the Maori Party, which has some policies to the right of Labour's? Are they to be expelled too? You're going to wind up with a pretty small movement, comrade!

The United Front is not a Stalinist invention. It's the opposite of Stalinism - it aims to unite the left and labour movement, by building unity around a single issue or small number of related issues. We need a United Front of everyone who opposes the terror laws and the raids and wants to help free the prisoners.

You need to explain why it is that you can't possibly work with people who share these goals, just because those people disagree with you on other issues.

"Big majority of New Zealand workers"? Sorry mate, there's plenty of redneck National voters among the working class. Just because workers support some reactionary party doesn't mean I will.

People can march and speak out all they like. At the end of the day, it's where their votes and party dues go that counts. I'm not planning on expelling anyone or "marginalising" people like the anonymous person above. I'm all for the diversity of tactics. And my support for prisoners does not depend on their affiliation but on facts.

I believe I can't work with certain people or organisations because I've seen plenty of campaigns where people have wasted time and effort on failed initiatives. Despite mass protests appealing to our MPs, the moratorium on GE was lifted. Educating consumers on the other hand, means that very few companies will openly market GE goods - a victory of sorts.

I believe in extra-parliamentary action, like the anti-nuclear and anti-Springbok tour initiatives. These were victories won by self-organisation of ordinary people, not through co-opting political parties.

No, I said if Labour people want to get involved, great, but that I won't water down my politics for them. and yes, I feel the same about the Maori party and the Greens. I already do work with some of these people, but as I said I'm not going to change my stance for them, as they won't for me. That isn't the same as refusing to work with one another, its setting your mutual boundaries and being honest about it.

I'm not going to stop challenging those in power, i.e. Labour, Greens, Maori party etc If its the tactics you don't like, then thats a different matter entirely.


Expulsion? where did you get that from? Not from my post above I hope. Its a big leap from not watering down politics and not sucking up to labourites etc, to Stalinist dictatorships.

and just to be clear i wasn't at the demo cos I live in a different city

Here's a GPJA press release issued before last Saturday's demo. It shows that there wasn't a deliberate policy of condemning all Labour delegates.
3 November 2007

Media Release:

Supporters of the campaign for “no terror laws” will protest outside the Labour Party conference on Auckland’s North Shore this morning from 9am. (Bruce Mason Centre in Hurstmere Road, Takapuna)

The protest will be calling for the repeal of the Terrorism Suppression Act of 2002 and its various offshoots which have resulted in drastically increased powers of surveillance for the police and Security Intelligence Service as well as big increases in resourcing.

These are George Bush’s laws imposed on New Zealand by the Labour government.

Labour Party activists will be joining the protest with at least one member of Labour’s Maori Policy Council scheduled to join the protest and address the crowd.

Families of those detained in the police para-military raids will be joining the protest as well as Tuhoe whanau in Auckland to support those arrested from their community.

John Minto
Spokesperson
Ph (09) 8463173 (H)
(09) 8452132 (W)

Rent a crowd:
Ph (09) 8463173 (H)
(09) 8452132 (W)

You cause is our cause, cause we pretend we care

"<i>Here's a GPJA press release issued before last Saturday's demo. It shows that there wasn't a deliberate policy of condemning all Labour delegates.</I>"

In that case you need to learn how to control your crowd better John, because you failed.

"People can march and speak out all they like. At the end of the day, it's where their votes and party dues go that counts. I'm not planning on expelling anyone or "marginalising" people like the anonymous person above. I'm all for the diversity of tactics. And my support for prisoners does not depend on their affiliation but on facts."

Oh sweet, so what are those facts?

The Police seem to have bent over backwards in the face of extreme provocation. It was simply ugly to see, protesting about people being arrested by being a violent ugly mob does not further anyones cause.

Did the fat ugly guy in the glasses feel like a man trying to intimidate the small female cop or did the hooded half-caste champion all of 5 feet feel powerful screaming and spitting at the real Maori cop?

And then those evil cops released them all without charge?

God you guys look like violent rent a mob thugs.

Today's talking point, fresh from Kiwiblog, is <em>rentamob</em>. See how many times <em>you</em> can spot this simple message.

Seriously, how can mobs be rented? No-one ever offered me any money. It's a meaningless word meaning "protestor I don't like".

Its interesting watching the video how the fat ugly guy in glasses starts off his Haka directed at the Maori Cop and then once he realizes that he isn't going to intimidate him switches instantly onto a small female cop standing by him.

Its pathetic.

""People can march and speak out all they like. At the end of the day, it's where their votes and party dues go that counts."""",,,,,,,,,,,,,,shortest memories I've ever seen!! the above might be true, if queen helen doesn't import another 100,000-200,000 thousand chinese nationals to offset any "votes", like he did last time. (strange "democracy" you go there).

You got that, if you can't buy votes with benefits then import them form the third world

Oh and flood the market with Chinese made goods, keeping the benefit culture alive and well by crushing local production

Did you notice how many of the Noir protestors, were garbed out of china

Thanks for your pathetic and semi-fascist comments. Now for some real news...

6/11/07
"A pipe bomb was thrown into the Browns Bay Police Station on Auckland's North Shore overnight.

The bomb exploded, causing broken windows and shrapnel damage.

Repairs are expected to cost several thousand dollars and the public counter area will be closed for the next few days.

North Shore Area Commander Les Paterson said it is fortunate the building did not catch fire."

- NEWSTALK ZB

What a shame... some private property that in the first place had been illegally acquired, was damaged.

The New Zealand Police Force is now officially the functioning arm of a repressive and dictatorial state-capitalist Labour government. This force knew the potential threat posed to its own forces in Urewera as early as June 2006 and watched it closely since.

The Police force's actions on October 15th 2007 reveal the threat it felt by a small movement in eastern north island and show its perceived need to preserve the wealth and its accumulation by around 20,000 new zealanders.

When New Zealander's relieve themselves of their apathy (not an easy task) they will realise the Police, the government and all state-capitalist institutions are actually mechanisms of wealth accumulation functioning on behalf of the richest 5%.

Much of middle new zealand may think they have much to lose by joining a revolutionary movement against this repressive government. However this is not true - they and their children will be better off after such a movement when wealth is restored to 4 million people and not just 20,000.

It is time for fear and apathy to take a back seat to a compassionate anger that will encourage a revolutionary movement from below. Then the Beehive can be a place of productivity for the people and not a place where politicians perpetuate people's misery.

yea bro hard!

mr genetic man your argument has come from the state, it doesn't have to go back at all. we can choose our future.

<..they and their children will be better off after such a movement when wealth is restored to 4 million people and not just 20,000.>

And within two years it will be right back where it started! You can't alter genetics -- greed beats apathy every time.

Some of us are angry. Some of us are scared. Some of us are worried. Some of us are resolute. Many of us are all of the above. It’s not surprising that things get tense.

What I think is important though is that we focus on what we can most usefully do to ensure that a bunch of our whänau and friends don’t end up in prison for a long period of time on fitted up charges. Equally, we must do what we can to roll back these draconian so-called anti terror laws.

Thanks to those posters who have talked about building cooperation across groups and people. Let our anger motivate us, but not lead us. Better IMO to use our minds to plan a coherent and effective strategy. That strategy must include building broad support for these aims.

Demonstrating our anger and determination is one thing. But we fall into a police trap if we allow them to look restrained in the face of provocation. Most people don’t see the other side of the police – the side they don’t usually reveal in public but which many of use have seen first hand. We have to look at our demonstrations from the point of view of what we are demonstrating to the uninformed observer, through a biased media. That’s why I agree the orange boiler suits were great .

On that note, many thanks to the organisers of the demo at the Labour conference – it needed to be done and made the point.

What these arrests have revealed is the true nature of the police as an organisation – a political force used to maintain the status quo. Regardless of what party is in power, the police are there to maintain power itself. That is what they were formed for.

In addition we know that the SIS have been involved in this operation, and so undoubtedly the “intelligence” services of the other Anglo nations. This operation was a local manifestation and extension of the terrorising of the people of the world under the guise of the war on terror which of course has precisely the same aim.

It is vital therefore that we maintain and enhance the public cynicism about these arrests. The police will start to leak stuff over the course of what promises to be a lengthy trial, as they have already done. They will try to contaminate the public debate with inadmissible information and unverified allegations, and the mainstream media will lap them up uncritically.

They will be aiming to move the mass of opinion. They will be trying to generate a mood among people so that they don’t care what happens to the arrested people. We must counter that. That means connecting with ordinary people and showing them how this stuff affects us all, it endangers us all.

It is also an opportunity to articulate possibilities beyond what we have now: what would mana motuhake mean, what would a decentralised political system look like, how do we build a world that actually meets the real needs of people while respecting the integrity of our planet and the other beings we share it with? Most people are justifiably scared of armed insurrection, but not of a better world. Let’s get loud about our love as well as our anger.

Nandor

cheers Nandor, love your work

intelligence” services of the other Anglo nations.

What do you define as Anglo nations??
Because what ever you smoking at the moment, is not producing clear or holistic thinking- define these cultures that you deem Anglo – I think that is better to understand where you coming from than to discount you as a pot smoking twat who makes shit loads of money from the dweebs of the me me me generation
-
Do you see any consequence of supporting people who pick up guns and play out revolutionary fantasies, or is it living for the moment with you and other of your ilk.
I would not hold up Tame Iti as a roll model, he is yet to be scrutinised as a person, perhaps the media should track down his former partners and his children -for a truer picture of the man, that many of you are bending over backwards to support

XOR

, def feeling that post bro. and hopefully you exchanging these kinds of ideas with other green party members and mp's from other parties,
it wouldn't be great to see the greens swallowed up by reformist politics.