On Guard For Thee: Any attempts to criminalize peaceful protestors under this right wing government must be resisted
If you only read one article this week, please, make it this one.
Last month, I wrote: Atlas Network: The Final Puzzle Piece Has Arrived.
Specifically, it was about the risks contained in Section 78AAA of NZ’s Crimes (Countering Foreign Inteference) Amendment Bil vis-a-vis the trend of criminalising peaceful protests around the world.
Especially environment and anti-fossil fuel protestors.
But could really be expanded to anything a sitting government does not like e.g. support for Palestine, support for LGBTQ rights, Māori protests, mining protests, food insecurity protests etc.
Legal and civil liberties experts here in NZ have pointed out the terms used in the government’s proposed legislation are too broad - and could be easily manipulated to crack down on peaceful protests.
A trend we are seeing rise exponentially across the world.
To me, this is alarm blaring stuff - so serious and insipid, that we all ought to be on high alert.
Come on, New Zealand, let’s not only get outraged after something like the Destiny gang attack happens (as if that wasn’t expected!)
Let’s get better at shouting about the clear trajectory of a government that has ticked EVERY single item in the playbook of the same right wing, corporatised ideology we are seeing around the world.
In corporate speak, it’s called “risk mitigation” - like airplanes flying in the sky - the actions should focus on preventing the scenario.
After I posted about this peaceful protest risk, I had some pretty immediate and strong resistance on social media to try to discredit me —
Which just meant I was onto a good thing.
After that, the Police Conduct Body, the IPCA, tried their hand - never letting a good crisis go to waste.
They released a report after the violent Destiny Church gang attack - that specifically went out of their scope of observing police conduct - to proposing police powers in NZ be EXPANDED to become the arbiters of who can legally protest.
Again - this is precisely the strategy and laws that saw climate change protestors jailed in the UK and other countries - for years.
Yes - how dare you, little persons, go up against our precious fossil fuel billionaires!
Gina would not be pleased.
As obvious it was to me that this was part of the same trend - only later, did I find out, thanks to “No Right Turn”, that the police watchdog had consulted not only with police but - ALSO - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is, as you already know, run by Atlas Network affiliated ACT Party’s Brooke Van Velden.1
The Post’s Sapeer Mayron dived into the topic more - quoting activitists as saying the proposal was genuinely “horrifying”.
And fortunately for NZ, we also have the Council of Civil Liberties which does such incredible work, I am floored by their service (please consider joining and/or supporting them)
The NZCCL have categorically rejected the idea.
Indeed, even Chris Cahill, NZ Police Association president, didn’t want police to be able to restrict protests.
(Get ready for the attacks, Chris)
This week Newsroom also covers IPCA’s proposal with the title: Repress protestors, and your repress democracy.
In that brilliant article, Dr Thomas talks about the alarming global trend of jailing and criminalising peaceful, liberal protests - a trend accompanied in parallel by the rise of the far right.
And talks about the Anadarko Amendment – which was brought in during the Key government’s “efforts to expand offshore oil and gas extraction” included giving the “military new powers of arrest.”
This all brought to mind Peter Thiel’s conclusion that his belief is "freedom and democracy are [not] compatible"
His freedom, is it? Or ours?
Thiel’s “bet” to undercut the political system has won him the political jackpot.
Same as Gina Rinehart who “got” Trump - and is now betting on toppling Labour and installing Peter Dutton in Australia.
So where is this all coming from within NZ?
Our government of course.
A government that’s proven again and again - it doesn’t really work for us - it works for the wealthiest who would have us remove democracy and ignore our planet under the pretext of doing good - a case study exemplified in the United States right now.
Addendum
Let me be clear about one more thing.
We all now connect and co-exist via the power of technology and their networks.
When, and if, and as, Trump and his “government” make orders to clamp down on transgendered communities, liberal push back and “resistance”, these platforms will be increasingly tenuous.
I’m still amused that some of us here feel we are “far away” from what’s happening in the States.
We aren’t - either through our interconnected financial systems, political channels, money networks, how this government is opening NZ up to rich foreigners buying our assets, or technology - we are much closer than you can imagine.
It’s time we acted like it, Aotearoa New Zealand.
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The Ministry of Justice, led by Paul Goldsmith, a man who didn’t want Nazi symbols banned under his heavily criticised gang patch law, and who appears close to Hobsons Pledge and Atlas Network figure, was also consulted
It just seems to be getting worse without mainstream media informing the public. It's worrying
Thank you Tui. This is quite sinister, but fully expected action from those driving the fools in parliament.
New section 78AAA of NZ’s Crimes (Countering Foreign Inteference) Amendment Bill creates a new offence where a person: knows, or ought to know, they are acting for a foreign power, and acts in a covert, deceptive, coercive, or corruptive manner, and intends to, or is aware that they are likely to, harm specific New Zealand interests or are reckless as to whether their conduct harms New Zealand interests.
It logically follows that our parliament following the Atlas agenda is committing an offence.
Should we let the minister of justice know?